After stillbirth loss, mother of 7 returns to school to help others heal
After experiencing an unimaginable loss, Kelly Helsel felt called to begin a new chapter. Following 17 years as a stay-at-home mother, she returned to school to pursue her dream of becoming a counselor — hoping to offer others the same compassionate support and Catholic guidance that helped bring healing to her own life.
In 2023 Helsel’s daughter, Mary Catherine, was stillborn. The experience and grief was ultimately “a huge catalyst to me going back to school,” Helsel told EWTN News.
“I think death has an interesting way of snapping your priorities in line,” she said. “And through the death of our daughter, I understood that tomorrow was not promised. And I had been holding this dream very closely for 17 years, just trusting,” she said.
“Much of my healing process after the stillbirth of our daughter was helped along by solid Catholic counseling,” she said. “So I just felt a whisper at first, and then I felt like, ‘I can turn around and be this for someone else in need.’ And so I did.”
Path back to school
A native of Arizona, Helsel met her now-husband, Doug, in high school. She then attended Northern Arizona University to receive a bachelorʼs degree in psychology with the hopes of becoming a counselor, but motherhood ultimately became her first priority.
“My firstborn … was born during finals week of my bachelorʼs degree,” Helsel said. “I actually had a positive pregnancy test the day before I was scheduled to take the GRE [Graduate Record Examination].”
“I just knew that motherhood was the priority and that Godʼs timing would take care of things. So I stayed at home,” she said.
Helsel decided to put her plans of working as a counselor on the side and focus on her growing family. She and her husband had seven children over the next 17 years, but after the loss of their sixth child she felt called to switch her plans and return to school.
“We just started taking one step in front of the other,” she said. Helsel started by applying to the University of Mary’s master’s program for counseling about six months after her daughter’s passing but was thrown an unexpected “curveball” during the process.
“On the feast of the Annunciation, I got in. But then I also had a positive pregnancy test with my daughter, Isabel, on the very same day.”
“I remember standing in the bathroom with my husband with my phone in one hand with an acceptance letter, and on the counter was a positive pregnancy test with our seventh baby.”
Motherhood provided ‘the skills to be a fantastic student’
Despite navigating grief, welcoming a new baby, and continuing to care for the rest of her family, Helsel not only decided to return to school but also opted for a five-semester accelerated program.
She graduated on April 25 with a 4.0 GPA and her whole family by her side. It was all possible not in spite of her 17 years as a stay-at-home mom but because of the experience.
“I actually think that motherhood, 17 years of motherhood, gave me the skills to be a fantastic student,” she said. “I learned time management. I learned prioritization. I learned how to ask for help. I learned all kinds of things in the trenches of motherhood that gave me the opportunity to really thrive at UMary.”
“I guess the loss of my daughter really showed me that like all things are ‘figure-out-able,’” she said. “When youʼve gone through something like that, it makes you unafraid to do really big things.”
“I knew that I could just cannonball into the deep end and we could do this. And my husband was an amazing support throughout the program. But, Isabel was the curveball of all curveballs,” she said.
“She was born during Christmas break and I just jumped back in in January. I didnʼt take any time off,” she said. "I would be in a rocking chair breastfeeding her, and my laptop is sitting next to me and Iʼm listening to a lecture.”
“I became a pro at using the dictation tool on Microsoft Word” so “I could hold my baby and dictate a paper,” she said. “It was just a really wild time. I learned to be extremely flexible and gentle with myself ... But I just knew God was like, ‘go, go right now.’”
“It was super bumpy at some points,“ she said. ”But I chose the University of Mary because I feel like [University of Mary president] Monsignor [James] Shea and the university really put their money where their mouth is in terms of supporting nontraditional students — especially mothers.”
“All of my professors were extremely accommodating with extensions if I needed one. A few professors gave me early finals because Isabel was born right at the end of that first semester,” she said. “So the University of Mary was really crucial to my success because everyone was behind me.”
Helsel noted that her professors, especially counseling professor Olivia Wedel, and other facility members and students were champions in cheering her “all the way to the finish line.”
Waddell “would always remind me that ‘Iʼm surrounded by support,’” Helsel said. “When youʼre super tired and youʼre on your fourth Crock-Pot meal of the week and you donʼt have anymore bandwidth left, I just thought, ‘I am surrounded by support.’”
“Jesus is real and his promises are too,” Helsel said. “I just remember really having to trust the Lord in a new way and also having to be very open to my dream not looking exactly like I wanted.”
“So yes, I went back to school and I got a masterʼs degree, but it looked absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to, but it was also better, just like he had promised me.”
“Your dreams matter to him,“ she said. ”Trust him, and especially Our Lady, with your dreams. Because he wants both. He wants your motherhood and your dreams.”
Catholic counseling offers ‘the keys to real human flourishing’
Officially a licensed counselor, Helsel is ready to jump in headfirst to help others in need by utilizing the guidance offered by the Catholic Church.
“I believe very deeply that the Catholic Church has the keys to real human flourishing,” she said. “So I knew I wanted to become a mental health professional with those guardrails in place, because I benefited so much from Catholic counseling.”
“I want to turn back around and help the next woman or couple or … anyone in line that needs to hear the good news, coupled with solid mental health formation. Like St. Thomas Aquinas says, ‘faith and reason.’ We need both.”
With her “perinatal mental health training,” Helsel hopes to primarily work in the womenʼs health category “to support other women, pregnant women, postpartum women,” she said. “And obviously I have a love for people who may have lost a child in a particular way.”
Helsel is interested in helping those discerning vocations, as her oldest son plans to apply to the priesthood. She is also hoping to support the vocation of marriage as it is “under a particular attack at this time.”
To accomplish all of this, Helsel has already started her own private practice called Concordia Counseling.
“I chose Concordia because Mary Catherine had a congenital heart condition,” she said. “Concordia means heart to heart or to bring two hearts into harmony. I wanted to honor my baby in heaven and Our Lord with my work. And so I started Concordia Counseling.”
“Iʼm just getting it started. I have a caseload of about 10 clients, but Iʼm hoping to accept more,“ Helsel said. ”I know that the work I want to do most of all involves not just mental health but the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
“I just think the framework needs to be formed properly, and that is the Catholic understanding of the whole person. And from there we can jump off anywhere,” she said.
Pope Leo XIV prays for Sahel victims
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed for victims of growing violence in the Sahel, thanked the people of the Canary Islands for welcoming a cruise ship carrying people sick with hantavirus, and offered a special blessing for mothers during his Regina Caeli address in St. Peter’s Square.
Speaking after the Marian prayer May 10, the pope said he had learned “with deep concern of the reports regarding the growing violence in the Sahel region, particularly in Chad and Mali,” which have recently suffered terrorist attacks.
“I offer the assurance of my heartfelt prayers for the victims and my spiritual closeness to all those who are suffering as a result of the tragic events,” he said. “I fervently hope that every form of violence may cease, and I encourage all efforts aimed at fostering peace and development in that beloved land.”
The pope also marked the annual “Day of Coptic-Catholic Friendship,” extending “fraternal greetings” to Pope Tawadros II and assuring “the entire beloved Coptic Church” of his “remembrance in prayer.”
“It is my hope that our journey of friendship will lead us to perfect unity in Christ, who has called us ‘friends,’” he said.
In Spanish, Pope Leo XIV thanked the people of the Canary Islands who, “with the hospitality characteristic of them,” welcomed the Hondius cruise ship and the passengers infected with hantavirus.
“I look forward to seeing all of you next month during my visit to the Islands,” he said.
The pope also offered a Mother’s Day greeting, asking Mary, “the Mother of Jesus and our own Mother,” to intercede for all mothers.
“Let us pray with love and gratitude for every mother, particularly those living in very difficult circumstances,” he said. “Thank you! May God bless you!”
Before the Regina Caeli, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, in which Jesus tells his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
The pope said the words of Jesus free Christians from the misconception “that we are loved because we keep the commandments, as if our righteousness were a prerequisite for God’s love.”
“On the contrary, God’s love is the basis for our righteousness,” he said.
Jesus’ words, he said, are “an invitation to enter into a relationship, not a blackmail or a suspicious ultimatum.”
The Lord commands his followers to love one another as he has loved them, Pope Leo said, because “it is Jesus’ love that begets love within us.”
Christ, he said, is “the standard, the measure of true love: the love that is faithful forever, pure and unconditional,” the love that knows no “buts” or “maybes.”
“Because God loved us first, we too can love, and when we truly love God, we truly love one another,” he said.
The pope said the Lord’s commandments are “a way of life that heal us from false loves” and “a spiritual lifestyle that is a path towards salvation.”
Because God loves his people, the pope continued, he “does not leave us alone in life’s trials” but promises the Paraclete, the Advocate, the “Spirit of truth.”
The Holy Spirit, he said, is a gift that “the world cannot receive” as long as it persists in evil, “oppressing the poor, excluding the weak and killing the innocent.” But those who respond to Jesus’ love for all “will find in the Holy Spirit an ally who will never fail.”
Pope Leo said Christians can always bear witness to “God, who is love,” adding that love is “not an idea of the human mind, but the reality of divine life, through which all things were created out of nothing and redeemed from death.”
Jesus, he said, shares with believers his identity as the beloved Son: “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
This “all-encompassing communion of life,” the pope said, refutes the Accuser, the adversary of the Paraclete, who seeks to set humanity against God and people against one another. Jesus does the opposite, he said, “saving us from evil and uniting us as a people of brothers and sisters in the Church.”
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.
‘Love is stronger’: How a Catholic woman saved tens of thousands of orphans
In a chapel in Burundi in 1993, after she saw 72 of her friends, family, and colleagues executed, Marguerite Barankitse told God she no longer believed he was love.
“How could God create those killers?” she recalled asking through her tears.
As mass killings and ethnic violence tore apart her home country after a coup, Barankitse fled with 25 children, both Hutu and Tutsi, to the safest place she could think of — a Catholic church.
But her faith had been challenged.
“I felt broken,” she told EWTN News. “After witnessing continued massacres and the deaths of my friends and family, I lost my voice and spirit.”
“[I] told God I no longer believed he was love because I could not understand how he could have created such hatred and killers,” she said.
Then, she heard the voice of a little girl — one of the first children she had rescued.
“We’re still in life,” little Chloe said. “We are here.”
“In this moment, I was reminded and saw that God is love,” Barankitse said.
She prayed for the strength “to go and shine in his glory.”
“I knew God had not abandoned me,” she said.
This wasn’t the only moment that shook Barankitse’s faith to her core. She would see more violence and death over the years. But it would become a defining moment for her.
Beginning with the 25 children she saved, Barankitse would go on to rescue and raise tens of thousands of children, eventually formally creating an organization called Maison Shalom.
Maison Shalom didn’t just provide for the children’s practical needs like shelter, education, and healthcare. Barankitse wanted to teach them to love and forgive, across ethnic barriers.
It was the children who came up with the name.
“We took the name ‘Shalom’ because my children heard on the radio that shalom meant peace, and that is our dream,” she explained.
“From the beginning, Maison Shalom was more than a shelter — it was a community where every child could belong, regardless of ethnicity,” she said.
Barankitse had seen firsthand the destruction of hate, and she wanted to break the cycle.
“Hate destroys not only its victims but also those who carry it,” she said.
“It is not entire ethnic groups that hate each other; it is individuals who choose hatred,” she said. “I refused to make that choice.”
“I asked myself, what could I do to raise children who would break this cycle?” Barankitse continued. “My answer was to raise children with compassion, forgiveness, and love.”
“My strategy has always been to love, because love is creative and transformative,” she said. “Through this love, I choose to respond to violence with compassion, protection, and reconciliation.”
“Love made me an inventor, and I sought to build a community infused with compassion.”
“Forgiveness, as taught by the Church, is radical — it asks us to break the cycle of vengeance and hatred, even when it seems justified,” Barankitse said.
“Love is not just a feeling; it is a force that builds futures out of the rubble of war,” she said.
“And I know that I can never give up because the children I help give me the strength and courage to always stand up, their resilience inspiring me every day,” Barankitse said.
Walking through war zones
Barankitse would walk through war zones to save orphans — even those other people thought weren’t worth saving.
“As the brutal violence and killings continued, I fought for the safety of these children,” she said. “More and more children continued to find refuge with me.”
“I walked directly into war zones and picked children out amid piles of dead bodies because these children deserved the opportunity to live, be treated with dignity, and build peace,” she said.
Barankitse fought for those who other people thought weren’t worth saving.
“One day, I came across a mother who had been killed in a grenade attack with her 4-month-old baby strapped to her back,” she recalled. “The baby was severely injured and people told me to leave him, but I knew I could not give up.”
“I chose to protect him and find medical help for him,” Barankitse said.
In spite of his injuries, the 4-month-old baby would live.
“I am proud to say that he survived and has grown up into a successful young man,” Barankitse said.
Baranktise still remembers another harrowing moment when she had to fight to get medical help for a child who was injured with a deep gash in her neck.
She took her to the airport to bring her to a hospital that could treat her — but other passengers “were refusing to let me aboard due to her condition,” she said.
“They were afraid,” Barankitse said. “I said, ‘No, you have no compassion. You will help me.’”
“Eventually, they listened to me and let me on the plane, putting a curtain between myself and the child and the other passengers,” Barankitse said.
The little girl survived. Now she is married with two children of her own.
“Sometimes love means standing strong for those who need help,” Barankitse said. “Nobody can stop love, and it remains my way of remaining strong against violence and hatred to this day.”
Barankitse had another “deep spiritual crisis” in 1996 after another wave of killings in which she witnessed the death of one of her best friends.
“I spent a month in prayer and returned humbled, realizing I am just a small instrument in God’s hands,” she said. “That is why I continue to pray to God to give me enough strength to continue doing his work.”
“Faith does not shield you from suffering; it walks with you through it,” she said.
“My strength comes from my faith and from the children themselves,” Barankitse said.
“Even as a child, I was troubled by violence and dreamed of becoming a teacher to change the world by teaching children compassion and love,” she said. “Throughout my childhood, my mother taught me that God is love, and when we are created, he gives us strength.”
Faith amid violence
Even after being forced out of her home nation in 2015 due to threats of violence, Barankitse has continued her work, relying on her faith to motivate her.
She left Burundi for Rwanda, where she created Oasis of Peace, which served more than 70,000 Burundian refugees.
“My faith taught me that we are created in love and that God gives us enough strength — ‘Do not be afraid, I will be with you until the end of the world,’” Barankitse said. “That is where I found my smile and my joy, even in the darkest moments.”
Barankitse’s work is founded in her Catholic faith.
“Being Christian is not just about going to church and praying; it is about restoring dignity to every human being,” Barankitse said.
“You can give someone food or clothes, but if they have no dignity, they have nothing,” Barankitse said. “By showing my love to the people around me, I seek to give back dignity to all — deciding to see the humanity in everyone, even those who have hurt you most.”
“This is how I build a future where no child has to suffer as my family and friends did,” she said. “Hate will never have the last word. Not as long as we practice love.”
“Catholic teaching tells us that every person is made in the image of God and deserves reverence and love,” she said. “This belief is a foundation for all of my work.”
Oasis of Peace offers counseling for victims of torture and rape, as well as education, vocational training, and micro-financing “so families can rebuild their lives with dignity,” Barankitse said.
Oasis of Peace also provides education for children. The recently launched École Sainte-Anne de Kigali initiative helps in “bringing together children from both underprivileged and more privileged backgrounds in a shared space of learning, growth, and dignity,” according to Barankitse.
“When I see a child orphaned by violence, I see a child of God. When I meet a woman who has survived rape, I see a person of infinite worth,” Barankitse said. “I believe in celebrating differences because this reminds us of how we are all created uniquely. We all deserve to feel love, compassion, and dignity.”
Barankitse continues her work every day, expanding Oasis of Peace, and speaking internationally about her story and the needs of the people she helps.
“Every day is full and purposeful,” she said.
“My hope is to continue sharing my story and the stories of Mason Shalom, inspiring others by showing them the power of love. My days are spent listening, organizing, and dreaming with those I serve.”
Barankitse won the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, which provided her with funding to help more refugee children.
“My dream is to create Shalom Houses everywhere, so every person knows they belong,” she said.
When asked what message she wanted to share, Barankitse said: “Do not give up.”
“The world can show you things that make you want to despair — I have seen them,” she said. “I have been forced to watch friends be murdered, held mutilated children, and fled my country as a refugee. Yet I still believe love is stronger."
To support or learn more about Barankitseʼs work, visit https://maisonshalom.org/.
How Christ transformed 2 young converts from Islam
For Jonás’ family, who are Muslim, turning away from Islam constitutes a grave betrayal of their culture and roots. Despite this, following a long journey of searching and formation, the young man received the sacrament of baptism during the Easter Vigil at the cathedral in Getafe, the Spanish city where he has lived since he was barely a year old.
His decision came after a personal encounter with Christ, when he realized there was no turning back: He was firmly convinced that the Catholic faith was the true one.
The 25-year-old, who did not share his last name, first became interested in the Catholic faith during his school years, while studying authors such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo.
For over five years, until beginning his catechumenate in 2025, the young man reflected deeply upon and researched various religious traditions. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Jonás recalled that it was during the process of researching Islam that "I ended up becoming a Christian.”
Transformed lives
For Jonás, the person of Christ and the sacraments were what transformed his life. “If Christ doesn’t enter into your heart, Christ who is God made man, who gave himself up for us on the cross, then ultimately you are not a Christian, but merely someone who knows a lot about Christianity,” he said. In his case, what impacted him most were Christ’s passion and self-sacrifice on the cross, as well as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
On the same day as Jonás, Lourdes Ángel also received the sacrament of baptism. Like Jonás, she grew up in a Muslim family. However, she explained to ACI Prensa that she always felt it was abundantly clear “that Christ was present in my life; even though no one had ever spoken to me about him, I already felt his presence very deeply.”
“My mother always tried to instill the Muslim religion in me, but I always gravitated toward Christianity. It was as if my heart were already in another place, without having any formation” in the Catholic faith, the 21-year-old recalled.
She shared that God helped her escape a toxic relationship at the age of 19 and that it was then that she met her current boyfriend, who is involved with the Neocatechumenal Way. “I realized that God was calling me, and I wasn’t going to close the door on him or turn my back on him,” she recounted.
What struck her most about the Catholics she knew was seeing “that people were so happy. They follow God and are happy even when things go badly for them, even when they have problems from time to time. It’s as if they see something good in suffering and know that Christ has a better plan for them. I wanted that; I wanted to understand how they could be so happy.”
Breaking the parameters of their world
The journey both of them took to embrace the Catholic faith wasnʼt easy. “Leaving your initial faith,” Jonás explained, “is quite difficult, because ultimately it structures your life and [converting] entails breaking with the established framework of your world.”
What he found most difficult was conveying this decision to his family: “I don’t think they will ever understand it ... they simply cannot wrap their heads around the idea that someone could change something like that. To them, it’s like a kind of identity or culture more than a path that one must seek out and discover.”
Even so, Jonás said that Jesus Christ is the one who helps him keep going, the one who comforts him and gives him the necessary strength to persevere. “Even Jesus himself warns us that the world will not particularly love us ... if they did it to him, they’ll do it to us.”
For Lourdes, the most difficult part was leaving behind her former way of life and attempting to “fit God in without changing anything about myself.” She specifically recalled a lesson taught to her by her catechist: “You cannot bring God into your life without doing anything for him; you have to make room for him, and then you can worry about everything else.”
A new rebirth
Jonás cherishes a fond memory of the Easter Vigil, when he received the sacraments of Christian initiation alongside 47 other adults. “It was a very happy experience. The next day, I felt completed,” he recalled.
He said that, before receiving baptism, “I felt a rather large void in my life, one I tried to fill with various ideologies ... the truth is that I was living in a state of considerable internal disorder within my soul, within my spirit.”
“After accepting Jesus into my heart,” Jonás continued, “I believe I am a much more ordered person in the moral aspect. Now I view others not merely as instruments but truly as creations of God made in God’s image and that makes me feel complete; it’s been like being reborn.”
He also shared that he tries to go to Mass every day. “For me, the Eucharist is like a spiritual treasure, what recharges me with spiritual strength. The body of Christ gives us grace and the capacity to view the world in a supernatural way, not merely through human eyes, but to also see it somewhat like Jesus would,” he said.
Accompaniment and faith in community
On this journey of conversion, he said he is especially grateful for the guidance of his catechist as well as that of the parish priest and his fellow parishioners. He also highlighted the importance of living out one’s faith with the support of others and within a community, for as he pointed out, “in isolation, people succumb; they grow weak.”
Along these same lines, Lourdes emphasized that “forming yourself alone” is not the same as having the assistance of a catechist: “You are much more conscious of what you are receiving and of what you are going to do at Easter,” she emphasized.
Lourdes also recalled her baptism “with great joy.” Ultimately, she noted, “you receive Christ himself, something truly astonishing,” just as the realization “that God loved me despite everything I had done. He was there waiting for me, and I am very happy to have received him.”
Jonás encouraged those going through a similar situation not to give up, pointing out that the process of conversion “does not happen over a single weekend.”
“Don’t give up,“ he said. ”Ultimately, as Jesus said, a Christian is not accepted in his own home, nor in his own family. I would tell them to persevere, to draw strength from the words of Jesus in the Gospel, to come to know him, to continue inquiring and discerning, and to seek out people who share their beliefs and can help them.”
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.
Pope Leo to sick and caregivers: ‘In the various situations of life, no one should be left alone’
In recognizing the work of the Italian Association for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (AISLA, by its Italian acronym), Pope Leo affirmed that “in the various situations of life — especially the difficult ones — no one should be left alone.”
His words were delivered during an audience with members of the association, which took place Saturday at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
The Holy Father stated that the work of AISLA “unites people experiencing an illness—along with their family members and caregivers—in a therapeutic alliance of great closeness and proximity that faithfully reflects the manner in which Jesus himself approached those who suffer.”
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects nerve cells in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord that control the movement of voluntary muscles. The disease causes motor nerve cells to deteriorate or die, rendering them unable to send messages to the muscles.
Over time, this leads to muscle weakness, spasms, and an inability to move the arms, legs, and body. The condition continues to worsen, and when the muscles in the chest area cease to function, breathing becomes difficult or impossible.
The Pope expressed that patients — with commitment, faith, and courage — “bear witness that the goodness and value of life are greater than illness,” and that the challenges it presents “can be faced together, transforming them into special and privileged opportunities to give and receive love.”
“Thank you for this! As prophets, you teach everyone the true value of life — and our world desperately needs this message!” Pope Leo said.
He strongly emphasized the closeness of the association’s members to the sick — something he considers “very important,” as healthcare requires presence “for the well-being of the person in their various dimensions: biological, psychological, and spiritual.”
“The Church deeply senses the value of this ‘closeness’: standing alongside people — wherever they are, in their homes — to offer support, not only in terms of care but also in terms of spirituality, paying special attention to the questions regarding the meaning of suffering — questions that cannot be left unanswered,” he underscored.
“In the various situations of life — especially the difficult ones — no one should be left alone; and volunteering, which unites people through generosity, powerfully embodies this value by fostering solidarity and respect, and by responding with gestures of care to the culture of waste and death,” he added.
Finally, he invited them to reflect upon the Passion of Jesus, who chose to experience it “as a time of trial, of physical pain and spiritual suffering,” standing in solidarity with humanity to the very end and demonstrating to them “that pain and suffering cannot halt love nor nullify the power of God.”
Augustiner Brewery delivers beer
On May 9, Pope Leo also received pilgrims from the Edith Haberland-Wagner Foundation and the Augustiner Brewery, who presented him with beer as a gift. This gesture allowed the Pontiff to offer two points for reflection.
First, he highlighted the pilgrims' connection to the Augustinian Order, to which he himself belongs. In this regard, he recalled the impact of Saint Augustine on his own life — a figure who “reminds us that we all possess gifts and talents bestowed upon us by God, and that our purpose, fulfillment, and joy derive from offering them in loving service to God and to our neighbor.”
The Augustiner Brewery is the oldest brewery in Munich and the last to remain privately owned. Its history dates back to 1328.
“I hope, therefore, that your pilgrimage not only strengthens you in faith but also inspires you to continue serving your brothers and sisters, especially those most in need,” he affirmed.
Then, recalling Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, the Holy Father stated that man is called not only to care for creation, but also to “ensure that its resources are always used with wisdom and with a view to justice — an indispensable prerequisite for peace.”
“Therefore, upon returning home, I encourage you to continue contributing to the promotion of a just and effective approach to the care of creation, both in the professional and personal spheres, for the common good,” he concluded, imparting his blessing upon all present.
Pope Leo meets with Haiti’s prime minister
Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, prime minister of Haiti, a country which continues to suffer from a wave of violence and insecurity, was received by Pope Leo on Saturday.
Following the meeting, the Holy See Press Office reported that the discussions between the two men focused on “the good relations between the Holy See and Haiti” and “the valuable contribution that the Church offers to the country at this particular time.”
The meeting’s readout indicated that various current issues facing Haiti were also addressed during the meeting, including “the socio-political situation and challenges in the humanitarian matters, migration, and security” as well as “the necessary contribution of the international community in addressing the present difficulties.”
Following his meeting with the Holy Father, the prime minister was received by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
Haiti’s ongoing turmoil
Haiti continues to experience a complex situation of violence and insecurity, particularly in the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs operate freely, controlling a large portion of the region.
In the midst of this backdrop, which also affects the Catholic Church, general elections are slated to be held on August 30, 2026, to elect the new president, members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, as well as mayors.
The last elections in Haiti took place in 2016 and were marked by controversy. Following that process, Jovenel Moïse assumed the presidency. Moïse was assassinated in 2021 and since then Haiti has spiraled into further political chaos and violence.
Given the situation, in February of this year Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne, the current vice president of the country’s bishops’ conference, anticipated that this year’s elections will neither be “transparent” nor “democratic.”
Holy See calls on UN to never subordinate migrants’ lives to other interests
The Holy See emphasized the need to place human dignity at the center of migration policies during its May 6 address to the Second International Migration Review Forum being held at United Nations headquarters in New York.
In a statement, Monsignor Robert D. Murphy, interim chargé dʼaffaires of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N., explained that the Holy See’s approach “is rooted in the Gospel and developed in Catholic social teaching, with the God-given dignity of every human person at its core."
He articulated several priorities, among them the protection of the lives of migrants, family unity, and the impact of technology on migration processes.
The statement was part of the policy debate regarding the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), highlighting key current and emerging challenges.
The obligation to protect lives
Regarding the protection of life, Murphy expressed his concern about the vulnerability of migrants on dangerous routes, pointing out that “protecting migrants’ lives is an obligation under international law, based on the fundamental right to life.”
He also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in search and rescue operations and of ensuring that the right to life “is never subordinated to any other interests.”
With regard to family reunification, Murphy noted that regular pathways for this purpose remain limited and called for greater efforts to promote family unity, including its integration into labor mobility schemes and ensuring access to education and healthcare, with particular attention to minors.
The Vatican representative also addressed the role of technological innovation, recognizing its potential to improve migration systems and make them “more predictable, accessible, and efficient,” as seen with advancements made in telemedicine, digital recruitment tools, and online consular services.
However, he warned of the risks associated with the use of surveillance technologies at borders, which, he said, “has raised concerns” within the Holy See “regarding potential human rights violations.”
In this context, he drew attention to the need to establish “adequate safeguards, robust oversight, and full respect for migrants’ right to privacy.”
Online recruitment systems
The priest also denounced the phenomenon of so-called “cyber-slavery,” a growing threat driven by criminal networks that exploit globalization and technology, which he characterized as “particularly disturbing,” noting that in these cases, victims are coerced into participating in criminal activities such as online fraud or drug trafficking.
These forms of violence, he noted, “are not isolated incidents, but symptoms of a culture that has forgotten how to love as Christ loves.”
In his conclusion, Murphy quoted Pope Leo XIV to underscore the human dimension of migration: “Every migrant is a person and, as such, has inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation. Not all migrants move by choice, but many are forced to flee because of violence, persecution, conflict, and even the effects of climate change.”
Based on this situation, the Holy See warned that the debate on migration governance must not be reduced to a technical exercise.
“Behind each objective of the GCM and policy effort stands the God-given dignity of migrants, demanding not only better governance but also solidarity, collective responsibility, and sustained efforts to ensure their protection and inclusion,” he pointed out.
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.
Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.
Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”
The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.
Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.
New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.
“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”
Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”
Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life.
“The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.
Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.
“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.
U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to press China’s president on Jimmy Lai case
More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.
Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.
In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.
Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Laiʼs, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.
“We know the president wants to do this,” Smith said in a May 8 interview with “EWTN News Nightly." “We want him to know — President Trump — that weʼre solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish.”
“And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, ‘Look, donʼt just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,’” Smith said.
The president has “an ability to persuade” like “no other president Iʼve ever known,” Smith said. “And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go.”
The letter notes that Trump’s “direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Laiʼs immediate release on humanitarian parole” and the case for his freedom “is urgent and undeniable.”
“He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement,” lawmakers wrote.
“His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life,” they wrote. “It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”
Lai’s ‘deteriorating health’
The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai’s “deteriorating health condition.” They wrote: “His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”
“From a humanitarian point of view, weʼre hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, ‘Let this guy go. Do it now. Itʼs a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,’” Smith said.
“Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence,” Smith said. “His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, heʼs got a life sentence — 20 years. Heʼs 78. Itʼs probably a life sentence, and heʼs very sick.”
“Iʼm very concerned,” Smith said. “Weʼve known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and thatʼs what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs.”
Lai “has a number of very serious ailments,” Smith said. “Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. Heʼs got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now.”
“Otherwise itʼll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that theyʼve accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect,” Smith said.
“No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will,” Smith said. “And if it does fail, it wonʼt be on Trumpʼs back. Itʼll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel.”
Bishop urges global intervention against execution of 200 Ethiopian youth in Saudi Arabia
Bishop Tesfasellassie Medhin of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia has appealed to the international community to urgently intervene and halt the planned execution of 200 Ethiopian nationals reportedly facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
“The cry of the poor and the marginalized must reach the ears of the international community. We cannot remain silent while the lives of so many hang in the balance,” Medhin said in a report Tuesday, according to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa.
Medhin called for immediate diplomatic engagement with Saudi authorities and urged the promotion of alternatives to capital punishment that uphold human dignity and the possibility of rehabilitation. Medhin’s appeal comes as more than 200 Ethiopian youths detained in Saudi Arabia have been handed mass death sentences over alleged drug-related offenses.
Christian Finnish parliamentarian announces next move in legal battle
Päivi Räsänen, a parliamentarian convicted by the Finnish Supreme Court of hate speech in March, will appeal her case to the European Court of Human Rights.
“The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe,” Räsänen said in a May 7 press release from her legal team Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which is representing her free of cost. “I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognize that peacefully expressing one’s beliefs is never a crime and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all,” she said.
Räsänen’s appeal comes after a nearly seven-year legal battle in which she was unanimously acquitted by two lower courts in Finland before the latest Supreme Court ruling acquitted her of charges relating to a 2019 Bible tweet but convicted her of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group,” under a section of a Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Catholics arrested in India after confronting mob of Hindu protesters
Police arrested four Catholics in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on charges including illegal conversion, rioting, and attempted murder after they confronted a Hindu nationalist mob that stormed a local parish celebrating Mass.
“It is very unfortunate that our people have been accused of serious criminal offenses and arrested for opposing right-wing Hindu activists’ illegal acts,” Father Arvind Amliyar, a parish priest, said following their arrests, according to a UCA report on Monday.
Amliyar said the Hindu nationalist mob entered the building during Communion and started filming with their phones and “alleging religious conversion activity.” He also said the mob accused them of killing a cow for a “community feast.” When parishioners stepped in to stop the mob, one of the activists threatened them with a knife before the parishioners overpowered him and took it away. When the police arrived, four Catholics were arrested and authorities rejected attempts to file complaints against the mob, “saying a case was already registered,” according to the priest.
Australian Pontifical Mission Societies’ ‘World Mission Rosary’ initiative returns
The Pontifical Mission Societies of Australia is once more calling for participation in its “World Mission Rosary” during the month of May.
The World Mission Rosary, founded by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen in 1951, is a global prayer initiative in which each of the five decades is a different color representing each of the five continents. Prayers will be led online Monday through Friday throughout the whole month.
“By representing each continent with its five decades of colors, the World Mission Rosary is a beautiful reminder of the mission we all live each day on our personal journey,” Catholic Mission said in a May 1 statement to Fides News Agency. “By praying together, we hope this initiative will help us pause and reflect on the missionary commitment that the Church, and each one of us, has carried out and continues to carry out every day for those most in need.”
South Korean Catholic hospital adopts ethics code for AI
The Catholic Medical Center (CMC) of the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul debuted the country’s first Medical Artificial Intelligence Ethics Code.
The code, which offers guidelines centered on human dignity and the common good for the use of artificial intelligence (AI), was announced during its May 7 Ethical AI Transformation Symposium, UCA News reported May 8.
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul emphasized during remarks at the symposium on the new code that “medicine lies not merely in the transmission of knowledge but in a human relationship in which one life recognizes and respects another,” according to the report.
Sacred symbolism behind head coverings of Eastern patriarchs
ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, has published a feature tracing the long and symbolic evolution of the head coverings worn by patriarchs and bishops of the Church of the East, especially within the Chaldean tradition.
Drawing on the testimony of Chaldean Archbishop Habib Hormiz, the story follows the development from early silk and colored coverings, known in some sources as the “biron,” to the black “shash” or “shushta,” which became associated with wisdom. The piece connects these traditions to Mesopotamian culture, biblical priestly garments, monastic influence, and later Catholic history, including the consecration of Yohannan Sulaqa in 1553.
Hormiz also explains that union with Rome did not erase the Eastern tradition, though the zucchetto entered Chaldean episcopal use only later, while the modern shushta gradually became a ready-made black cylindrical cap.
Cambodian Catholics celebrate new church, priest, and deacon
A new parish, the Church of St. Joseph the Worker, was consecrated for Catholics in the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh in Cambodia on Saturday.
The celebration of the new parish was presided over by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh. “In opening these doors today, we experience immense joy: the joy of a completed church, the joy of having a sacred place worthy of praising the Lord,” the bishop said, according to a report from Fides News Agency on Monday. “It is the joy of our people, the people of God in Cambodia, who have been able to build a beautiful church in the city of Phnom Penh to celebrate, praise, and give thanks to the Lord.”
European bishops issue reflection on mental health
Catholic bishops in Europe published a reflection paper titled “Mental Health in Europe — A Call for Care” detailing a Catholic approach to mental health “rooted in human dignity, solidarity, and integral care.”
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) said in a press release on Thursday that the publication of the document comes “at a time when Europe is facing a complex and interconnected set of mental health challenges” and that it hopes to highlight “the need for a holistic approach that places the human person at the center.”
COMECE said the document “aims to provide EU policymakers, healthcare professionals, and civil society actors with ethical reflections and practical orientations capable of supporting mental well-being across Europe.”