Catholic diocese appeals for prayers after priest, 2 Franciscan brothers kidnapped in Cameroon
NKONGSAMBA, Cameroon — The Catholic Diocese of Nkongsamba in Cameroon has appealed for prayers for the safe release of a priest and two members of the Fraternity of Franciscans of Emmanuel (FFE) who were abducted in the country’s North-West Region.
In a June 30 statement, the vicar general of the diocese announced that Father John Bosco Bihkong, a priest serving in the Diocese of Nkongsamba, and two FFE members were kidnapped the night of June 27.
According to Father Joseph Tchinda Dountio, Bihkong traveled to his native village of Melim, near Ndop in the North-West Region of Cameroon, to celebrate his first Mass on Friday, June 26.
He was accompanied by Brother Sylvester Sewong, guardian of the FFE convent in Kékem, and Brother Marie Rodrigue Sop, who is preparing for perpetual profession. The three were abducted the following night.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way,” Dountio said.
He said the local ordinary, Bishop Dieudonné Espoir Atangana, is appealing for prayers for their safe release.
“Bishop Dieudonné invites the people of God, as well as all people of goodwill, to pray and support the Franciscan Brothers of Emmanuel for the release of these servants of God,” he said.
No details were provided regarding the identity of the kidnappers, their motives, or whether contact had been established with the abductors.
Cameroonʼs North-West Region is one of the two English-speaking regions that have experienced years of insecurity linked to the countryʼs Anglophone crisis.
Clergy, women and men religious, and other civilians have periodically been targeted in abductions as violence has persisted in the region.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Order of Malta opens Gaza clinic, aids war-torn Ukraine, sends teams to Venezuela
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta’s humanitarian outreach assisted 9 million people in 2025 across conflict- and disaster-affected regions, including Gaza and Ukraine, and has launched an emergency response in Venezuela.
Speaking for the nearly 1,000‑year‑old humanitarian order, Josef Blotz, its grand hospitaller, told “EWTN News Nightly” about “the sobering degree of need” and the “requirements amidst destruction” in Gaza after the Israel‑Hamas conflict.
As grand hospitaller, Blotz supervises the order’s health and social affairs offices. He has served in the position since February 2025.
Blotz oversaw the opening of a health clinic in Gaza City on June 22 in partnership with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Calling it an “honor” to open the facility alongside Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Blotz said it was “a wonderful opportunity to live up to the order’s charism” by serving “the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable” in Gaza City.
“Itʼs very important for me to outline that we are not only looking after our Catholic people in this parish or of the Christians,” he said of the clinic located on the premises of Holy Family Church in Gaza City. “We are absolutely ready to help everyone irrespective of ethnicity or religion.”
Order provides aid in Ukraine
Blotz said of Ukraine’s humanitarian situation amid its war with Russia that “the crisis is ongoing.”
Active in about 74 locations in Ukraine, the order’s work in the country includes caring for orphans and children as well as wounded soldiers, Blotz said.
The order provides prosthetic limbs for soldiers injured during combat, producing the prosthetics “with the help of artificial intelligence,” according to Blotz.
“We are modern by tradition,” Blotz said. “And this is something you can witness in Ukraine where we really try — and actually achieved — making a difference in people’s lives.”
Venezuela mission assessed
Blotz said the order is preparing to send an assessment team to Venezuela “to find out where the need is.”
“We are very experienced in setting up activities like these not only in crisis areas but also in terms of disaster-relief operations,” he said, noting that he will know more in the coming days about how the order will lend its support.
“We have to understand the situation and also set up networks and partnerships,” he said. “Because together with others, the Church, Caritas, and many other governmental organizations, we would be even more successful.”
Vatican confirms excommunication of SSPX bishops, declares schism
One day after the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated four bishops without the permission of Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican issued a decree declaring the excommunication of all bishops involved in the ceremony and stating that the group is in schism.
Published on July 2 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the decree specified that the consecrating bishops, Bishops Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, as well as the four bishops consecrated, Bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier, have incurred excommunication latae sententiae for performing the consecrations. These excommunications, according to canon law, can only be removed by the pope.
The decree also warned Catholic clergy and lay faithful not to adhere to the SSPX’s “schism,” under penalty of automatic excommunication.
The dicastery, in an explanatory note, lamented that doctrinal discussions between the Holy See and the SSPX, since the time of St. Paul VI, have not resulted in the society’s full communion with the Holy See.
The note also stated that SSPX clergy “administer the sacraments illicitly and that the sacrament of penance administered by them and the marriage assisted by them are invalid.”
Pope Francis had granted SSPX priests special permission to hear confessions and conduct marriage ceremonies as part of his outreach to the group.
The Vatican stated on May 13 that the consecrations would be a schismatic act, resulting in automatic excommunication for the consecrating bishops and those consecrated. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, later called the SSPX’s act “schismatic”.
Pope Leo XIV even issued a final appeal to the society not to proceed with these consecrations.
“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: Please turn back,” Leo wrote in his letter.
In 1988, after Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the SSPX, consecrated bishops without a papal mandate, the Vatican responded two days later, notifying him and the consecrated bishops of their automatic excommunication.
The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.
The SSPX did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Seton Hall president ‘not implicated’ in internal sex allegation report, Newark Archdiocese says
Seton Hall University President Monsignor Joseph Reilly was “not implicated” in an internal report examining the school’s response to sex abuse allegations, the Archdiocese of Newark said this week.
The archdiocese on July 1 announced the release of its own report into whether an internal investigation commissioned by Seton Hall — the latter known as the “Latham report” — revealed that Reilly knew about abuse allegations at the university and yet failed to report them. Reilly was appointed president of the school in 2024.
Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Tobin said in the July 1 announcement that the archdiocese’s report, which was launched in February 2025 and performed by the law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, revealed that Reilly “was not implicated in the Latham report.”
The archdiocesan report reveals that Reilly “responded promptly to allegations of sexual harassment involving seminarians at [Seton Hall’s] Immaculate Conception Seminary in 2012,” though Reilly “did not follow the university’s Title IX reporting requirements” because he had not been trained on them, Tobin said.
The Latham report, which has never been made public, was expected to examine whether Reilly, then-rector of Seton Hall’s Immaculate Conception Seminary, knew about sexual misconduct allegations against now-deceased former cardinal Theodore McCarrick and failed to report them.
The Ropes & Gray inquiry, however, states that the Latham report “contains no findings or allegations that Monsignor Reilly … witnessed or received reports of any sexual misconduct by McCarrick (or any other individuals) at any time,” including during a stint as McCarrick’s secretary in the early 1990s.
Among its findings, the Ropes & Gray report said Reilly in 2012 removed a seminarian from the school’s seminary after the younger man was found to have engaged in sexual harassment.
Reilly was “not involved” in a separate 2014 dispute over inappropriate conduct involving two adults, meanwhile.
In his announcement on July 1, Tobin said that “nothing in [the] thorough report changes my firm view that Monsignor Reilly is a good priest with formidable experience and a deep commitment to a Catholic institution serving the Church and the world.”
“He is highly regarded across the Seton Hall community and has my full respect and confidence,” the archbishop said.
The Latham report was commissioned by Seton Hall in 2019 and produced by the law firm Latham & Watkins; the school ordered it after bombshell allegations involving McCarrick, who died in 2025.
A New Jersey appeals court ruled in June that Seton Hall would not have to fully disclose the report as part of ongoing clergy abuse lawsuits.
The appeals court did rule that one section of the report regarding the university’s sexual harassment policies could be disclosed in court, though parts of that section could be subject to redactions depending on the contents.
Parolin: SSPX ordinations are ‘schismatic’
ROME — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said Wednesday that the episcopal ordinations carried out earlier in the day without papal mandate by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) constitute a schismatic act.
“I don’t think there is much to say about this episode,” Parolin said at an event July 1. “First of all, I want to express great sorrow. I want to express great sorrow because, speaking of the unity of the Church, an act like this deeply wounds the unity of the Church.”
The cardinal was commenting on the episcopal ordination of four new bishops at the SSPX headquarters in Switzerland.
“Evidently this is in itself a schismatic act, because we know that episcopal ordinations without pontifical mandate break the unity of the Church and are also subject to very precise sanctions, which are fundamentally excommunication,” Parolin said.
The cardinal said he did not know “the timing and the manner” in which the excommunication would be formally addressed.
“My hope is that, despite what happened today, dialogue can resume and that a solution can truly be found here as well,” he said. “The fundamental point is the council — that is, whether or not to accept the Second Vatican Council.”
“One certainly cannot think that the history of the Church stops at a certain point,” Parolin continued. “The history of the Church continues, and therefore the Second Vatican Council is a milestone in the history of the Church that must be accepted and implemented in the right way.”
Parolin added that “despite this serious wound that has been produced,” he hopes dialogue with the SSPX can resume and “paths can be found that make it possible to resolve this problem.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
God on the soccer field: Expressions of faith at the World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been more than just a celebration of soccer. Amid the excitement, players, coaches, and fans have made it clear that, for many of them, faith is also part of the game.
Mexico, the United States, and Canada are hosting the tournament, which kicked off on June 11 and for the first time in history has brought together 48 national teams for a total of 104 matches.
The Virgin of Luján and the Argentinian national team
Argentina, the tournamentʼs defending champion, seeks to repeat the feat achieved at Qatar in 2022 under the protection of the Virgin of Luján. During that World Cup, a video shared by goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez revealed an image of the patroness of Argentina in the locker room at the white-and-blue-uniformed teamʼs training camp.
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Furthermore, the athletic shoes worn by Lionel Messi, captain and superstar of the Argentinian national team, were blessed at Our Lady of Luján Basilica by Father Lucas García, the shrine’s rector.
In a video shared on social media, the priest is seen sprinkling holy water on the footwear while praying that the World Cup becomes a time of unity for all Argentinians.
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Croatia and its faith
Croatia, one of the standout teams in recent World Cups, has also consistently borne witness to its faith.
Before the World Cup, the players and coaching staff left their training session to attend Mass on the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Another significant moment occurred before the team’s first match against England, when EWTN News asked players Kristijan Jakić and Igor Matanović what Catholicism means to the team and if prayer and faith are important to them.
“I think faith is very important in my life. When you pray to God, you feel that someone is listening to you, and that gives me a lot of strength,” Matanović said.
Jakić added: “We are a Catholic country where faith is the pathway of our lives. I think faith represents the entire national team. Faith is everything in our lives.”
St. Michael the Archangel and Scotland
Scotland returned to the World Cup this year after a 28-year absence, featuring a generation of established stars alongside the talent of young prospects such as 20-year-old Ben Gannon-Doak, a forward for Bournemouth in the English Premier League.
In an interview with the BBC, the player spoke about the central role the Catholic faith plays in his life. He carries a medal of St. Michael the Archangel and prays and reads the Bible before every match.
Following Scotlandʼs victory over Haiti in its World Cup debut, cameras captured Doak kneeling on the playing field as he thanked God in prayer.
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Mexico at the feet of Our Lady of Guadalupe
At Mexico City Stadium, the site for the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, there is a small, restricted-access Catholic chapel that players and coaching staff pass through before taking the field.
It’s a simple space featuring just two kneelers and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, accompanied by a plaque noting that the image was blessed by St. John Paul II in 1999 during his fourth visit to Mexico.
A video released during the tournament showed head coach Javier Aguirre and some members of “El Tri” — as the Mexican national team is known — pausing briefly to pray before their match against the Czech Republic on June 24, which they won 3-0.
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Faith also finds expression at the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, where fans can entrust the Mexican National Team before an image of the child Jesus dressed in the teamʼs official uniform, a tradition that seeks not to ask for sporting victories but to place their joys in the hands of Christ.
Just steps from the cathedral in Mexico City’s Constitution Square, a Fan Fest has been set up where fans gather to watch the games. There, one can find two nuns from the Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament walking through the square, offering “free hugs” to the fans.
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On June 12, the United States got off to a strong start in the World Cup by defeating Paraguay 4-1. After the match, defender Mark McKenzie led the team in a moment of prayer on the field.
Leading up to the tournament, several U.S. players spoke openly about their faith. Standout winger Christian Pulisic is known for leading teammates in a Bible study he calls “Bible Time” and has spoken about the important role that reading Scripture plays in his daily life.
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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.
Nun arrested by ICE while walking to Sunday Mass in Texas released after lawmakers’ intervention
A Catholic nun was briefly detained by federal immigration officers while walking to church in her religious habit on Sunday, sparking widespread concern among local faith leaders and prompting swift intervention by members of Congress.
Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on June 28 as she headed to Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, just miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Parish officials quickly shared news of the arrest on social media, which drew significant attention and led to outreach from lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Monica de la Cruz and Henry Cuellar, the latter of whom said his office communicated with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and border czar Tom Homan to secure Ugboaja’s immediate release.
By Sunday evening, Ugboaja, who volunteers as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows, had been released from custody and returned home.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar told EWTN News that he was told at first that she could not be released until Monday because of staffing issues but that Homan made her earlier release happen.
“[Homan] said he’d take care of it. I want to thank the DHS secretary and Homan for helping her get released” on Sunday, Cuellar said.
The congressman said he now knows why Ugboaja was initially detained but is not at liberty to speak about it.
“This is not the way they should have picked her up,” he emphasized. “If ICE had any questions, there would have been more appropriate ways to deal with her situation.”
Cuellar said the image of a nun in full habit walking to church on a Sunday morning “lowers a curtain of fear in the community … We should not have people being picked up on the streets in America. That’s not America.”
“If there’s fear, it should be focused on criminals,” the Democratic congressman said. “Those are the ones who should fear ICE.”
Brenda Riojas, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, told EWTN News in a statement the diocese was “grateful also for the quick response of local representatives who reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to get Sister Leticia released from custody.”
She noted the diocese is still gathering information about the circumstances regarding Ugboaja’s detainment by ICE.
In the statement, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville said the nun “is a well-known source of goodness and hope in our community, and I am grateful she has been released.”
He said there remain “many questions” about her arrest.
“For now, it is clear that Homeland Security enforcement protocols that make it possible for a religious sister, or anyone, to be detained and handcuffed while peacefully walking to church on a Sunday morning are wildly disturbing and need to be reformed.”
The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States, started a petition addressed to Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, calling for an immediate investigation into why the nun was detained.
“This incident highlights the concerns that advocates, faith leaders, and community organizations have raised for months about unlawful enforcement practices and the lack of oversight,” the petition reads.
The incident comes amid heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has included operations near houses of worship.
An ICE spokesperson told EWTN News in July 2025 that while the agency is “not subject to previous restrictions on immigration operations at sensitive locations, to include schools, churches, and courthouses,” it nevertheless “does not indiscriminately take enforcement actions at these locations.”
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” the spokesperson noted, adding: “All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention, and, if found removable by final order, removed from the United States.”
In January, the Department of Homeland Security removed places of worship from its sensitive locations list, allowing ICE agents to carry out immigration enforcement procedures.
Following a lawsuit from a group of 27 religious organizations, ICE was temporarily blocked in March 2025 from carrying out deportations in places of worship. However, one month later, a federal judge found the organizations did not have legal standing, thereby allowing operations to continue.
Bishops in South Texas have reported increased anxiety among parishioners, with some opting to attend Mass virtually or requesting assistance with errands to avoid leaving their homes.
Bishops in other parts of the country have issued dispensations from Mass attendance for those who fear deportation.
San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller told EWTN News in January that instead of dispensing the Mass obligation, he wants to “reach out to those who are hidden.”
“That’s our work. We will go and find them in their homes, bring catechists and Communion to their homes,” he said.
Reached for comment, ICE referred EWTN News to the Homeland Security department, which did not respond by the time of publication.
This story was updated at 3:13 p.m. ET on July 1, 2026, with the quotes from Rep. Cuellar.
Supreme Court will hear Catholic-backed Jewish religious liberty suit involving ‘finality’ rule
The Supreme Court this week said it would take up a long-running religious liberty lawsuit brought against an Ohio city in order to address a dispute over a legal concept known as “finality.”
University Heights resident Daniel Grand had asked the Supreme Court to rule on the question of “finality,” a legal principle requiring property owners to obtain a land-use decision from local officials before bringing certain federal court challenges.
Grand brought the suit against University Heights in 2022 after the city blocked his efforts to convene a minyan, or Jewish prayer group, of about a dozen friends at his home. The city directed that he would have to acquire a special-use permit to host the group.
Both a federal district court and an appeals court dismissed Grand’s case on the grounds that he had not properly followed “finality” rules before filing, specifically that he did not complete the permitting process before bringing the suit.
On June 30, the Supreme Court said it would consider the case, which it will take up during its next term.
Grand is being represented in part by the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. John Bursch, a senior attorney with the group, said on June 30 that University Heights’ policy “underscore[s] a troubling trend of weaponizing zoning laws against people of faith.”
“Every American has the right to host a prayer gathering in his home, and he certainly doesn’t need a city permit to do so. When government officials forbid that, courts must hold those individuals accountable, immediately,” Bursch said.
Ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision, Grand’s lawsuit received backing from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which filed an amicus brief in appeals court arguing that Grandʼs religious liberty claims should be considered without being subject to “finality.”
Religious plaintiffs have standing to sue “as soon as a credible threat arises,” the bishops said in their filing, arguing that court processes that play out over “months or years” due to finality rules serve as a “constitutional harm” in and of themselves.
The Supreme Court will begin its next term in October.
Catholic priest known for peace initiatives in Central African Republic shot and killed
BANGASSOU, Central African Republic — A Catholic priest serving in the Diocese of Bangassou in Central African Republic was shot dead in an armed attack in eastern Central African Republic. A parishioner accompanying him was seriously wounded.
Father Crépin Martial Monga, pastor of St. John the Baptist Zémio Parish in the Bangassou Diocese, was killed Monday, June 29, as he returned to the rectory.
According to local and diocesan sources, the attack occurred around 6:43 p.m. local time on the road linking a checkpoint of the Central African Armed Forces to the parish residence.
He was struck in the head and died instantly. A female parishioner traveling with him was also hit by a bullet in the neck. She was rushed to the hospital in Zémio, where she remains in intensive care.
Medical personnel say her condition is critical and she may require evacuation to a better-equipped facility.
Authorities have not yet identified those responsible for the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility. The circumstances and motives remain unclear as investigations continue.
Bangassou Bishop Aurelio Gazzera paid tribute to the slain priest, highlighting his commitment to peace.
“This is a tremendous loss for the local community and for the Diocese of Bangassou,” he said.
Gazzera praised the priest’s constant commitment to peace and reconciliation in the region.
The bishop noted that at the time of his statement, gunfire was still being heard in Zémio, a volatile security situation that currently makes it difficult to gather precise information on the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
Beyond his pastoral ministry, Monga was actively engaged in peace-building efforts in the region. He served on the Local Committee for Peace and Reconciliation, working to promote dialogue, social cohesion, and reconciliation among communities affected by conflict.
He was widely known as a man of peace, committed entirely to his pastoral mission. His “weapons,” as described by those who knew him, were the Bible and the rosary, and his mission was to serve communities affected by prolonged instability.
Serving in the conflict-affected Zémio region, he was recognized for his closeness to the people, his kindness, and his dedication to families facing hardship.
Only hours before his death, Monga was still actively engaged in pastoral care. On June 28, he administered the sacrament of baptism to 175 candidates, including 160 displaced Christians from his parish who had been accommodated in Zapay from June 27–29.
On the morning of June 29, the priest accompanied the newly baptized to the banks of the Mbomou River before returning with them — his final pastoral act before the attack that evening.
Monga’s funeral is scheduled to take place July 1 at St. Peter Claver Cathedral in the Bangassou Diocese.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Amid World Cup, Church in Mexico reminds fans that prayer is ‘the path to unite the world’
At the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage, the Archdiocese of Mexico reminded fans that prayer is “the path to unite the world.”
In an editorial from the June 28 edition of its weekly publication, Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the Archdiocese of Mexico stated that seeing “rival players praying together at the end of matches” during the World Cup, the most-watched sports event in the world, has provided “the most moving and hopeful scenes of the tournament.”
The Mexican capital’s archdiocese emphasized that “strengthening unity is one of the greatest gifts of prayer,” which “allows us to discover that beyond our differences, we share the same fragility, the same hopes, and the same need for God.”
“Furthermore, it creates a communion that does not depend on physical proximity or a coincidence of circumstances,” the editorial noted.
In this regard, the Archdiocese of Mexico recalled the suffering of the Venezuelan people, shaken last week by powerful earthquakes that have left at least 1,450 dead and thousands injured.
“When tragedy strikes a community, prayer takes on a special meaning,” the archdiocese emphasized, noting that while it “does not replace material aid or the work of those risking their lives in rescue efforts,” it brings solace and reminds those suffering the tragedy “that you’re not alone.”
“Prayer does not always immediately change circumstances, but it transforms the heart of the person who places himself in God’s hands, causing hope to flourish, even in places where many might think God is absent,” the archdiocese stated.
The Archdiocese of Mexico emphasized that “when millions of people see rival players praying together at the end of a match, they are witnessing a reminder that prayer has the power to unite those whom the world insists on keeping apart.”
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.