This is Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August is for evangelization in the city.
“Roughly half of us live in cities. Jesus himself walked city streets, in Cana, in Jericho, in Jerusalem, and just as in those cities Christ is present in ours — teaching, praying, celebrating, but also suffering among the poor, the forgotten, the imprisoned," the Holy Father said in a video released July 31 on X.
He added: “This month, let us pray for the courage to recognize him [Jesus] there and through our work and witness to bring the Gospel to the streets and homes of our metropolises.”
In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention:
“Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,
You walk through our streets and squares,
enter tall buildings and humble neighborhoods,
and silently accompany millions
who seek meaning amid noise and haste.
You know, Lord, the heart of the city:
its lights and shadows, its noise and loneliness.
We know that cities are called to be places of freedom and opportunity,
but they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation.
That’s why today we ask you for a renewed gaze,
able to discover in urban life
fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel.
Give us a creative and deep faith,
that doesn’t remain in words,
but becomes flesh through simple and loving gestures.
Make us a Church that goes forth,
able to reach out to the peripheries,
to console those who are lonely,
and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference.
Lord, may our urban communities
be open and welcoming homes,
places where hope is shared,
where no one feels invisible,
and where the joy of your Gospel shines
in the hidden lives of so many brothers and sisters.
Make us your witnesses in the city,
bold and creative missionaries,
who proclaim your love with their lives—
a love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity.
Amen.”
“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.
3 Catholic churches desecrated in a single French archdiocese
The Archdiocese of Tours in France reported that three Catholic churches within its jurisdiction have been desecrated and announced that Masses of reparation will be held at the affected churches.
“In recent days, three churches in our diocese in Chambray-lès-Tours, Luynes, and Tours (St.Joan of Arc Church) have been targeted by malicious individuals,” the archdiocese said in a July 28 statement.
The text specifies that “offering boxes were looted and damaged, doors forced open, sacred vessels damaged, a tabernacle forced open, and the Blessed Sacrament desecrated.”
“These painful and hurtful events for the Catholic community unfortunately reveal the extent to which our society is permeated by disturbing forms of violence, a lack of culture, and a lack of civility,” the statement laments.
Finally, the text notes without specifying dates that “Masses of reparation will be celebrated in the desecrated churches.”
Michel Lamy, the mayor of Chambray-lès-Tours, condemned the desecration of the church in his town, stating: “These acts fill me with deep indignation and are simply unacceptable.”
“Nothing can justify an attack on a place of worship, our heritage, and what it represents for many residents of Chambray,” the mayor stated on his Facebook page.
The mayor posted photos of the desecration, showing Communion hosts scattered on the ground and excrement on the floor.
“I condemn this desecration in the strongest possible terms and offer my full support to the parish community, Father François Xavier Olayemy Oniossou, and all those deeply shocked by these events,” the mayor added.
“In Chambray-lès-Tours, as elsewhere, respect for places of worship, regardless of one’s convictions, is a fundamental value,” he stated.
In November 2024, similar acts of desecration occurred at four churches in the Archdiocese of Tours. Archbishop Vincent Jordy stated at the time that “there may be people who wish to express at times hatred toward the Church, or toward what she represents.”
“There is this type of phenomenon that unfortunately exists — we say it in the communique — and which manifests a lack of culture and a form of contempt for peopleʼs [way of] life and faith,” the prelate lamented at the time.
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.
More than 2,000 Catholic Scouts gather for Mass at Scouting America National Jamboree
More than 2,000 Catholic Scouts and leaders gathered for Mass during the Scouting America National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia from July 26–30.
With 70% of Scouting units in the United States chartered by religious organizations, “faith is integral to who we are as an organization,” Michael Ramsey, chief marketing officer for Scouting America, told EWTN News.
“Our Scout Oath, that every Scout knows, starts off with, ‘On my honor, I will do my duty to God and my country.’”
“Faith is not just the motion that we go to. Faith is who we are as an organization,” he said.
As part of its National Boy Scouts Jamboree, Scouting America brought together thousands of Catholic Scouts for a Mass celebrated by Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, New York.
The jamboree, which wrapped up on July 30, is a 10-day-long event that takes place every four years. It brings together more than 15,000 Scouts to camp and learn outdoor, conservation, and survival skills while meeting peers from across the nation.
The event, which was first held in 1937 around the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is now held at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.
“We actually took over a coal mine that had been abandoned in the ‘70s. And we reclaimed something that was an ugly scar on the earth … and turned it into heaven for Scouting,” Ramsey said.
At the camp are zip lines, rock climbing, skateboarding, and also a Sunday morning of worship.
Scouting America offers multiple worship services at the jamboree, the Catholic Mass being the largest.
At the recent Mass it “was absolutely stunning to see that many young people,” Ramsey reflected. “Theyʼre at camp, but they chose to be there. Almost 9,000 Scouts that were here, 2,000 of them came to Mass on Sunday morning. “
“Itʼs really a powerful testimony to faith in Scouting,” he said. “I donʼt know who else is running a Mass for 2,000 youth on Sunday morning. We like to think it was the biggest one in the country at that time, but itʼs such an important part of who we are.”
The jamboree also offers a number of other attractions.
“Weʼve got the second-largest zip line in the country at our property in West Virginia,” Ramsey said. “We have a skate park thatʼs the size of an aircraft carrier and some of the largest shooting ranges in the country.”
At the jamboree, there are also concerts, food trucks, booths, adventure activities, and opportunities for Scouts to earn merit badges.
“And youʼre with a bunch of scouts who are all living the ideals of the Scout Oath and Scout Law — to be trustworthy, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent,” he said.
The event brings “together scouts from all across the country,” Ramsey said. “They come in contingents from 228 of our local councils across the country.”
National Catholic Committee on Scouting
“Right now across the country, there are almost 131,000 Catholic Scouts across the country, which is a phenomenal number for us representing just shy of 200 dioceses, which we are very proud of.”
“The Catholic Church is the largest chartering organization that we work with in the whole country — by a fair amount. It is absolutely critical for us,” Ramsey said. “We actually have the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.”
The organization was recently renamed to Catholic Scouting America but has the same goal — to provide guidance and structure for the integration of Catholic teaching into Scouting America programs.
An organization officially related to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Scouting America is “made up of Catholic leaders that helped promote Scouting in the Catholic Church but also serve as a liaison with the leadership of the Catholic Church,” Ramsey said.
The organization even “signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Catholic Church about 18 months ago,” he said.
The MOU reported it reaffirms the organizations' “shared values and outlines collaborative efforts to provide enriching and character-building opportunities for Catholic youth through Scouting.”
The MOU noted that the ties between the Catholic faith and Scouting in the United States are as old as the movement itself.
In 1910, the same year Scouting America was founded, one of the earliest known Catholic-chartered troops was established in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was quickly followed by the founding of a troop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 1912.
“It was one of the earliest religious organizations to adopt Scouting in the U.S. Itʼs a long, proud history that we have with the Church,” Ramsey said. “We want to make sure that we reach every young person in the Catholic Church who wants to be involved in Scouting.”
Florida attorney general confronts Catholic schools over vaccine mandate
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops urging compliance with state law requiring religious exemptions for vaccine mandates.
In a July 31 letter addressed to Michael Sheedy, the conference’s executive director, Uthmeier, a Catholic, expressed concern that “at least one diocese” appears to have adopted a policy articulated by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in 2011 that states Catholic institutions “cannot grant an exemption from vaccination on religious grounds.” Under Florida law, the attorney general pointed out, both public and private schools are required to provide religious exemptions for vaccinations.
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Citing Church teaching on respect for human life from conception to natural death, Uthmeier noted that “the Catholic Church has historically encouraged the faithful to abstain from the use of vaccines produced from aborted fetal tissue, while at the same time recognizing the moral permissibility of using such vaccines in certain circumstances.”
“But even if abortion-derived vaccines may be permissible to take, Church teaching also recognizes that no one should be forced to take a vaccine ‘if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,’” he said. “Having no legitimate religious reason to refuse granting religious exemptions to the taking of abortion-derived vaccines, Catholic schools in Florida should comply with Florida law.”
Institute for Ethics and Common Good grants boost ethics and spirituality research on AI
The University of Notre Dame announced that its Institute for Ethics and the Common Good has awarded more than $800,000 in rapid-response grants for research on “the ethical and spiritual implications” of AI.
“The grants, provided through the institute’s DELTA Partner Program and selected from a competitive pool of over 160 applicants, offer seed funding for organizations to convene strategic gatherings, provide training, and create high-impact, practical tools and resources for educators, students, policymakers, and pastoral leaders as they lead in the midst of the rapidly changing technological landscape,” the university said in a July 29 press release.
Grants were distributed to 12 organizations, including Catholic tech companies, schools, and public policy nonprofits.
“We were thrilled to see such a wide range of organizations and individuals who were interested in immersing themselves in the DELTA framework and adapting it for their own unique contexts,” Meghan Sullivan, director of the Ethics Initiative, said in the release. “We know that those working to develop this new technology are moving rapidly, and so there’s a real need for Christian leaders across a wide variety of fields to also work quickly to help navigate questions of what it means to lead a good human life, to serve the common good, and to build what Pope Leo calls the ‘civilization of love’ in this new context.”
“Each of these partners brings a unique perspective to bear on the question of what it means to be human in this current moment,” Adam Kronk, director of DELTA, said in the release. “We are excited to have them as part of our growing community of leaders who are looking for tools to protect the dignity of learning and form people’s hearts and minds.”
Franciscan University launches ‘Be Light’ faculty appreciation fellowship
Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, has announced a faculty fellowship program aimed at recognizing professors who have made an exceptional impact on students and the university’s Catholic mission.
“The highly competitive Be Light Faculty Fellows Program was established in 2026 to recognize and retain professors whose consistent exceptional performance strengthens academic programs, creates new opportunities, inspires students, and advances the university,” Franciscan said in a July 28 press release.
The university named seven faculty members to the fellowship, which includes “a monetary award that can be utilized for research costs, course reduction, or salary.”
“Recipients were selected following a nomination process and an extensive review of their performance in teaching, scholarship, and service over the previous three years, along with assessments of their broader institutional impact by their deans and department chairs,” the university said.
The program comes as part of the university’s Be Light Strategic Plan aimed at improving recruitment and retention of “mission-dedicated faculty and staff.”
John Paul the Great Catholic University announces degree in narrative arts
John Paul the Great Catholic University will launch a bachelor of narrative arts degree in screenwriting and fiction in fall 2026.
“The degree creates new pathways for students pursuing careers in storytelling across multiple media, while retaining the previous pathways,” the university said in a July 1 press release. Students who apply to the program before Sept. 1 will receive a $1,000 scholarship that may be stacked with other need- and merit-based aid.
Screenwriting students will be able to choose from a bachelor of science in communications media with an emphasis in screenwriting, a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in screenwriting, or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in screenwriting. Creative writing students will be able to choose from a bachelor of arts in humanities with an emphasis in creative writing or a bachelor of narrative arts with an emphasis in fiction.
“Alongside the launch of the Bachelor of Narrative Arts, JPCatholic is also introducing a renewed emphasis in Catholic Education & Evangelization within its Bachelor of Arts in Humanities,” the release said. “Led by Professor Justin Panlasigui, chair of Humanities, the revised emphasis builds upon the universityʼs former New Evangelization emphasis while providing students with stronger preparation for careers in Catholic education, ministry, catechesis, and evangelization.”
“Our new Catholic Education & Evangelization emphasis will help students develop an important skill set for todayʼs intra- and extra-ecclesial landscape,” Panlasigui said.
University of Dallas, DeSales University launch graduate partnership
The University of Dallas and DeSales University have announced an academic partnership to expand graduate-level business school offerings.
“Through a Memorandum of Understanding, enrolled graduate students at each university will be able to pursue select online concentration courses offered by the partner institution while remaining matriculated at their home university,” the University of Dallas said in a July 15 press release. Courses will be available online with flexible synchronous and asynchronous options, the release said.
“We are excited to partner with DeSales University in a collaboration that expands academic opportunities for students at both institutions while preserving our shared commitment to rigorous, applied graduate business education,” said J. Lee Whittington, dean of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas.
Under the agreement, University of Dallas students will be able to enroll in DeSales’ courses in healthcare management and operations and supply chain management, while DeSales students will have access to University of Dallas classes in accounting, finance, and financial planning.
“We view this partnership as more than an academic agreement — it is a strategic collaboration between two institutions committed to student success,” said Chris Cocozza, dean of the Waterbury Reilly School of Business at DeSales.
California bishops slam state for targeting abortion pill reversal: ‘Everyone should oppose this’
Two Catholic bishops are criticizing the California government’s targeting of abortion pill reversal ministries and urging support for the right of women to choose life, a cause the bishops argue people on all sides of the aisle should support.
Abortion pill reversal gives a mother the option to save the life of her child after she has taken the first chemical abortion pill. If she changes her mind, she can take the hormone progesterone to potentially save the child.
California’s attorney general is asking the Alameda County Superior Court to stop nonprofits Heartbeat International and RealOptions from offering this reversal, demanding up to $20 million in fines for alleged false advertising, with the government calling the measure “an unproven and largely experimental procedure.”
The state government is targeting those ministries for “telling women who regret swallowing the abortion pill that there is a medical treatment that can sometimes save their babies,” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Oakland Bishop Michael Barber wrote in a July 30 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Cordileone and Barber said that as priests they hear from many women who regret their abortions. Reading those depositions is “painful,” the bishops said.
They cited the case of Elizabeth Barrett, a woman who turned to abortion pill reversal through Heartbeat International and who ultimately gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Barrett testified in the case that she had originally felt pressured by Planned Parenthood staff to abort the baby.
“To be a Catholic priest these days, as we both are, is to have heard many similar stories of women who felt pressured to have an abortion they didn’t want,” they said. “Everyone should oppose this.”
The bishops argued that the California government aims to take away choices from women. The legal dispute “is a rare case that should bring together both sides of the abortion debate,” the bishops wrote.
“In particular, it tests the souls of those who claim the platform of ‘pro-choice.’ What kind of people see a pregnant woman who wants to reverse the effects of an abortion pill and think, ‘Let’s punish the nonprofits that informed her she has a choice’?” they said.
This is not the only case targeting abortion pill reversal, the bishops pointed out. New York state’s attorney general has filed a similar lawsuit against Heartbeat International.
People of faith have a particular call to support women in these scenarios, the bishops said.
“[T]hese women especially need support from the religious — those who hold that creation in God’s image means life is endowed with a dignity that can’t be trampled by a government determined to punish those who oppose unquestioned abortion,” they said.
Church in Spain grapples with sudden illegal arrival of 50,000 migrants
The Catholic Church is responding to the illegal arrival within the span of just a few hours of nearly 50,000 migrants in the Spanish city of Ceuta, located on the North African coast, by mobilizing resources for the diocesan migrant ministry.
The Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, led by Apostolic Administrator Ramón Valdivia (auxiliary bishop of Seville), expressed in a statement its “deep concern regarding the gravity of the events and the particular vulnerability of so many people affected by this situation.”
The diocese reiterated its readiness “to collaborate with civil institutions and competent bodies” to address “any needs that may arise.”
In support of this commitment, the diocese has directed that the entirety of the collections taken up this weekend in Ceutaʼs parishes be allocated to the diocesan migrant ministry in order to channel aid through the San Antonio Migrant Care Center.
“We thank the faithful and all people of goodwill in advance for their generosity, and we invite Christian communities to pray earnestly for those who are suffering, for those responsible for managing this situation, and for all who work to build paths of peace, justice, and hope,” the statement concludes.
On social media the bishops’ Commission for Social Pastoral Care and Human Promotion of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference called for “measures addressing this situation to be taken within the framework of current law, with respect for human dignity, and avoiding manipulation for partisan ends.”
Court ruling that precipitated the surge
Migrants are entering Spanish territory by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, a border structure that extends into the sea located south of the autonomous city of Ceuta continuing the border fence that separates the Spanish town from Moroccan territory on land. The crossing, which can sometimes last for hours, is fraught with danger; Spanish authorities have already reported the recovery of more than 40 bodies.
On June 29, Spain’s Supreme Court issued a ruling rejecting the practice of “hot returns” (summary expulsions) applied to migrants intercepted at sea who attempt to swim into the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla in Africa.
The high court determined that this method of illegal entry into the country takes place without getting over any border barrier as occurs when scaling a border fence and therefore the Law on Immigration’s Tenth Additional Provision cannot be applied.
The referenced section of the regulation stipulates that foreign nationals detected at the border line of demarcation of the territory of Ceuta or Melilla while attempting to get over a border barrier in order to enter illegally “may be turned back to prevent their illegal entry into Spain."
The Supreme Court ruling further stated that “nothing would prevent” the application of this provision for automatic return “were containment measures to be established at sea to protect the border line.”
Calls to exclude Spain from Europeʼs Schengen Area
The president of the autonomous city of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, requested that the central government on the Spanish mainland declare a national emergency so that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could assume unified command of the situation and adopt “decisive” measures.
However, the request was rejected, even though the current situation involves a volume of arrivals many times greater than the last migratory wave the city experienced in 2021 when a group of around 12,000 people arrived, a figure nearly four times smaller.
The vulnerability of the borders of Spain’s African territories has led Italy and Finland to back a proposal to exclude Spain from the Schengen Area, the zone of free movement for people that comprises 29 European countries.
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.
Archbishop Cordileone discusses future of Latin Mass restrictions, calling for ‘easier access’
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco called for “easier access” to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) as the future of the restrictions on the traditional rite remain uncertain.
“I think with some precautions, we can allow a greater access to the Mass and maintain unity within the Church,” Cordileone said in a July 30 interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.”
Cordileone, who is one of seven new members of the Apostolic Signatura appointed by Pope Leo XIV, spoke about the Latin Mass restrictions following the excommunication of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) members involved in consecrating four bishops without the pope’s permission.
The SSPX consecrations manifest “a growing lack of trust that has been simmering for a very long time,” Cordileone wrote in a post to X.
“Let us pray that an ardent effort toward sincere and honest dialogue will soon start up, and that easier access to the traditional form of the Mass will be available to our people, so they will not feel as if they are constrained to seek spiritual nourishment outside of the family in union with Rome,” he said in the July 10 statement.
While Cordileone and other leaders have called for less restrictions on the TLM, Cardinal Arthur Roche, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said in an interview with The Tablet that Pope Leo has no intention of changing Pope Francis’ restrictions on the traditional liturgy.
Cordileone told Raymond Arroyo in response to Roche’s comments: “I donʼt know how well he knows the mind of the Holy Father. But I think one thing thatʼs clear to everyone is the Holy Father wants to bring everyone together. Heʼs all about unity.”
Cordileone said he is concerned that if the restrictions remain in place, people who want a traditional form of worship will feel they “have no choice” other than “to go outside of officially approved institutions and communities.”
“They will do that. So I think thereʼs concern for unity on both sides. One, if the restrictions are in place, people will then go to these other groups that are not in full communion with the See of Rome,” he said.
“But if theyʼre allowed generously, we have to make sure that the people who access the Mass are in full communion in terms of their belief and their acceptance of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council,” he said.
In the U.S. and other nations, Cordileone said that has, for “the most part,” been the case.
“So I think with some precautions, we can allow a greater access to the Mass and maintain unity within the Church,” he said.
Reconciliation of TLM restrictions not ‘realistic’
While Cordileone said he believes more access to the TLM is possible, he said he does not think itʼs “realistic” to reconcile the TLM restrictions following Pope Leoʼs message to the French bishops to be more inclusive of those who want to celebrate the traditional rite.
In March, Pope Leo XIV called for “concrete solutions” to heal divisions over the Mass in a message to the French bishops.
The Holy Father called for renewed unity in the Church’s liturgical life, urging French bishops to seek “concrete solutions” to include Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass while preserving communion.
“We look at the younger generation — they all love the tradition,” Cordileone said. “They love the more classical way that the Church worships, the traditional Mass, what we call the traditional Mass, the form of the Mass before it was changed after the Second Vatican Council.”
“But even the order of the Mass as we have now done in a more traditional way with the priest ad orientem, and the sacred music, and great solemnity, and reverence. Theyʼre desiring this deep tradition. It takes them to a very deep place,” he said.
“This is unstoppable. Itʼs whatʼs drawing young people in and will continue to do so,” he said.
New York says Catholic sisters will not be required to participate in assisted suicide
A coalition of religious sisters in New York state won a major victory in federal court this week when the state agreed to not force the sisters to participate in New York’s looming assisted suicide regime.
The lawsuit had been brought earlier in July by four communities of religious sisters in the state. U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci on July 30 issued the consent order holding that the government is “barred from requiring that [the sisters]” participate in the assisted suicide process in any way while their lawsuit proceeds.
The suicide law itself is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 5.
The decision was announced by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the sisters in the suit along with Rockville Centre Bishop John Barres.
Mother Mary Rose Heery, OCarm, the prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in the legal group’s press release that families “entrust their loved ones to us” and that the sisters were “grateful that we can continue honoring that trust and remain beside every resident until the very end.”
“[The state’s] decision not to enforce this law against us means that we can continue our loving service to Christ’s poor,” Mother Marie Edward, OP, the superior general of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, said in the announcement.
Barres, meanwhile, called the consent order an “important first step toward protecting religious freedom” in the state.
“New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide or abandon the sick and dying when they need care most,” the bishop said.
“Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel,” he said.
New York’s assisted suicide law has drawn pushback from Catholic advocates. In December 2025 the state’s Catholic bishops described assisted suicide as a “grave moral evil” and said the law signals the state government’s “abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens.”
New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide.”
Bishop John BarresDiocese of Rockville Centre
The suicide law “[tells] people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable but is encouraged by our elected leaders,” the bishops argued.
In addition to the Catholic legal filing, disability advocates filed suit against the New York law earlier this year, arguing that it threatens the lives of people with disabilities there.
The suit, filed in federal court in June alongside a similar suit against a new assisted suicide regime in the state of Illinois, argued that the New York law does not require medical officials to “consider a patient’s psychiatric or psychological condition or how that may affect their suicidality” when they ask for help in dying, potentially leading to the euthanasia of patients who are not suffering from terminal conditions. A federal judge dismissed that suit on July 30.
When it legalized assisted suicide in February, New York became the 13th state in the U.S. to allow doctors to help kill patients.
Farther to the north, Canada has had nationally legalized assisted suicide for about a decade, during which about 100,000 people have taken their lives under the program.
Vatican increases net worth by $3 billion in 2025
The Vatican’s financial investments and assets rose to a net worth of approximately $3 billion (2.686 billion euros) in 2025.
According to the annual report released on July 31 by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the profit increased by $102 million (89 million euros) compared with 2024. The profit was also mainly due to the revaluation of physical gold, the increase in the value of real estate, and the positive valuation of financial securities.
Speaking to Vatican Media, APSA President Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti said that comparing profits in 2024 and 2025 should be done with caution, as 2025 was marked by extraordinary income from the reorganization of financial flows, a situation he described as unrepeatable.
“APSA’s purpose is not to generate an annual profit, but rather to preserve and strengthen the patrimony entrusted to it,” he stated.
A profit driven by real estate
According to the 2025 report, real estate management was APSA’s main economic driver that year, with a profit of $51 million (44.5 million euros), an improvement of $10.8 million (9.4 million euros) over the $40.3 million (35.1 million euros) recorded in 2024.
This growth was driven by higher income from properties directly managed by APSA in Italy. APSA also manages approximately 1,200 properties abroad, including residential and commercial units, primarily in London, Paris, Geneva, and Lausanne, Switzerland.
APSA also made profits from its stakeholdings in several companies, including the Société Sopridex in France, the British Grolux Investments in the United Kingdom, and Profima S.A. in Switzerland.
Cardinal Becciu and the London property sale
For investments, APSA reported that it continues the financial and legal procedures for the divestment of the Luxembourg fund U.K. Opportunities (Sloane & Cadogan), in compliance with a 2020 motu proprio issued by Pope Francis to strengthen transparency and control of Vatican investments.
The fund is linked to the controversial real estate deal involving the Sloane Avenue building in London, which led to one of the Vatican’s biggest financial scandals in recent years. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was at the center of this scandal, and the Vatican sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.
Since his conviction in 2023, Becciu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.
The Vatican court ordered a retrial of Becciu’s case on March 17 after the initial sentence was overturned due to a “relative nullity” caused by violations of the right to defense. On Sept. 30, the appeal process against Becciu and other defendants will resume.
Growth by gold, money in reserves, and supporting Roman Curia
The growth in assets was mainly driven by the revaluation of physical gold in the portfolio, which contributed $46.9 million (40.8 million euros), as well as by the increase in the value of real estate by $45.1 million (39.2 million euros) and the appreciation of financial securities by $18.8 million (16.3 million euros).
Financial management showed a negative accounting result of $4.3 million (3.7 million euros) in 2025, compared with a positive $43.8 million (38.1 million euros) in 2024. However, APSA explained that this figure is mainly due to the application of the new Holy See accounting standards, the Vatican Financial Management Policy.
In 2025, APSA allocated a total of $26.1 million (22.7 million euros) to cover the financial needs of the Roman Curia, fully complying with the contribution requested by the Holy See.
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.
St. John Paul II Retreat House to open in nation’s capital
A retreat house inspired by the life and ministry of St. John Paul II is set to open its doors next to the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C.
Inspired by the retreats of Father Karol Wojtyła — later Pope John Paul II — the St. John Paul II Retreat House will offer Catholic group retreats in a prayerful setting.
The house, which is a pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, will be unveiled and blessed on Aug. 26. The event will include Mass and a blessing by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.
“Pope John Paul II’s deep spiritual life was the engine which drove everything else he did,” Stephen White, executive director of the St. John Paul II Shrine, said in a press release.
“Through prayer, he allowed God to make him a saint. The Retreat House is a way to invite guests to enter more deeply into the vocation we all share — answering God’s call to become saints,” White said.
As a young priest, then-Wojtyła led wilderness excursions for young people while teaching them about the faith. He used the quiet setting as a place for Mass, prayer, and discussion, which the center hopes to reflect.
The center strives to imitate the early home of Wojtyła, in the years prior to his election as pope, according to White. It houses a collection of the saint’s personal belongings including papal dishes, his rosary and cross, and handwritten letters and other items from his writing desk.
It also includes 40 rooms, a library, meeting spaces, a chapel, and a dining area.
The center invites parish ministries, young adult groups, college campus ministries, leadership teams, formation groups, pilgrimage groups visiting the shrine, and any other Catholic group hoping to gather in prayer.
The center also allows for immediate access to the St. John Paul II National Shrine, one of the nationʼs premier Catholic pilgrimage sites, offering a 16,000-square-foot exhibit, sacred spaces, daily Mass, confessions, and a first-class relic of the saint.