7 key things to know about the Catholic Church in Cameroon ahead of papal visit
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — After concluding the first leg of his African apostolic journey in Algeria, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to travel to Cameroon from April 15–18. In the Central African nation, the Holy Father is set to visit the capital, Yaoundé, and the metropolitan sees of Bamenda and Douala.
If Algeria represents the Church as a small minority navigating a Muslim-majority society, Cameroon presents a different ecclesial landscape. The Catholic Church there is demographically significant, institutionally entrenched, socially influential, and politically attentive.
Ahead of the papal visit officially announced on Feb. 25, here are seven structural realities that define the Church’s profile in Cameroon.
1. A numerically significant and growing Catholic population
Cameroon’s population is religiously diverse, comprising Christians, Muslims, and practitioners of African traditional religions. Within the Christian bloc, Catholics constitute one of the largest denominations. Current estimates place Catholics at roughly 30% to 35% of the national population, translating into several million Catholics.
This scale gives the Catholic Church measurable public presence. Parishes are numerous, Catholic diocesan structures are well developed, and lay movements are active across urban and rural areas. The Church is not a marginal actor; it is a central stakeholder in national life.
Growth trends remain steady rather than explosive. Unlike some East African contexts where Catholic numbers have surged, Cameroon’s expansion is incremental and closely tied to demographic growth. Nonetheless, vocations to the priesthood and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) continue at levels that sustain ecclesial institutions.
In Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV is set to encounter with a people of God neither defensive nor peripheral but fully embedded in national society.
2. Robust ecclesiastical structure and metropolitan sees
The Catholic Church in Cameroon is organized into five ecclesiastical provinces, each headed by a metropolitan archbishop. These include Yaoundé, Bamenda, Douala, Garoua, and Bertoua.
The Archdiocese of Yaoundé serves the political capital and functions as a strategic center for Church-state engagement. Douala, the country’s economic hub, anchors the Littoral region and reflects the Church’s engagement with commerce, urbanization, and migration.
Bamenda, in the Anglophone Northwest Region, carries particular pastoral and political weight due to ongoing instability in that part of the country. Garoua Archdiocese is in the north of the country, while Bertoua Archdiocese is in the east.
The bishops collectively operate through the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), which regularly issues pastoral letters on social, political, and moral issues.
Pope Leo XIV’s decision to visit three metropolitan sees signals recognition of Cameroon’s regional diversity and ecclesial complexity.
3. A Church with deep historical roots
Catholic missionary activity in Cameroon dates to the late 19th century, particularly under German colonial administration and later French and British rule. Missionaries established schools, clinics, and parishes that became foundational to local communities.
Over time, ecclesial leadership transitioned from missionary congregations to Indigenous clergy. Today, Cameroonian Catholic bishops and priests lead the Church across the country, and missionary institutes have shifted toward collaboration rather than control.
This historical trajectory — from missionary implantation to local ownership — has shaped a confident Church. Catholic institutions in education and health care are not peripheral supplements; they are pillars of national infrastructure.
The historical memory of missionary sacrifice and local perseverance still informs Catholic identity in Cameroon. Papal visits are therefore received not as external interventions but as moments of communion within an already mature ecclesial body.
4. Education and health: The Church as social architect
Few institutions in Cameroon rival the Catholic Church in educational reach. Catholic primary and secondary schools are widespread, often regarded for discipline and academic performance. The Church also sponsors tertiary institutions and teacher training colleges.
Health care is similarly significant. Catholic hospitals and clinics serve urban centers and remote areas alike. In regions where public health systems are strained, Catholic Church-run facilities frequently fill service gaps.
This social footprint gives the Catholic Church influence but also responsibility. It must negotiate regulatory frameworks, maintain quality standards, and manage financial sustainability.
This also means that papal messaging on social justice, youth formation, and health care ethics resonates concretely rather than abstractly.
In Cameroon, the Church’s credibility is measured as much by service delivery as by liturgical vitality.
5. Political engagement and social commentary
Cameroon’s Catholic bishops have consistently engaged in public discourse on governance, elections, corruption, and national unity. Pastoral letters issued around electoral cycles often emphasize transparency, accountability, and peaceful participation.
This engagement places the Catholic Church in a delicate position. While she does not function as a political party, she operates as a moral voice. Her statements can attract both public support and governmental scrutiny.
The Anglophone crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions — marked by tension between separatist groups and state forces — has intensified the Church’s mediating role. Bishops in affected regions, particularly in Bamenda, have appealed for dialogue and protection of civilians.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Bamenda is therefore not merely ceremonial. It unfolds against a backdrop of social fragility and political complexity. Any public remarks in that region will be closely analyzed for diplomatic nuance.
6. Vocations, seminaries, and local clergy formation
Cameroon is considered one of the more vocally productive Churches in Central Africa. Major seminaries in the country train diocesan clergy, and religious congregations attract local candidates.
The presence of Indigenous clergy has allowed the Church to contextualize liturgy, catechesis, and pastoral strategy. Inculturation — integrating elements of local culture within Catholic worship and life — has developed within the framework permitted by universal Church norms.
However, vocations also present governance challenges: ensuring adequate formation, preventing clericalism, and addressing global concerns about safeguarding and accountability. As elsewhere, the Cameroonian Church must navigate expectations of transparency and ethical leadership.
A papal visit often includes meetings with clergy and religious. In Cameroon, such encounters are likely to reinforce standards of pastoral responsibility and ecclesial communion.
7. Diversity: Linguistic, cultural, and religious pluralism
Cameroon is frequently described as “Africa in miniature” due to its linguistic and cultural diversity. The country officially operates in both French and English, with numerous Indigenous languages in daily use.
This diversity shapes ecclesial life. The Church must minister across Francophone and Anglophone regions, urban and rural contexts, and varied ethnic identities. Liturgies may incorporate local languages and music while maintaining doctrinal unity.
Religiously, Cameroon is pluralistic. Alongside Catholics are Protestants, Pentecostals, Muslims, and adherents of traditional religions. Inter-Christian competition — particularly with rapidly growing Pentecostal movements — poses pastoral challenges. The Catholic Church must articulate its identity in an environment where charismatic worship and prosperity preaching attract large followings.
Interreligious coexistence with Muslim communities, particularly in northern regions, remains a factor in national stability. The Church has often collaborated with Muslim leaders to promote peace and counter extremism.
For Pope Leo XIV, this pluralistic setting requires calibrated messaging — affirming Catholic identity without undermining interreligious harmony.
Yaoundé: Political and ecclesial nerve center
The capital, Yaoundé, is more than an administrative stop. It is the seat of government and the archdiocese that frequently hosts national Catholic events. Meetings with civil authorities are likely to occur here, reflecting the Vatican’s diplomatic engagement with the Cameroonian state.
Historically, Yaoundé has hosted major ecclesial gatherings and international visitors. A papal Mass in the capital would draw large crowds and symbolize national unity.
Douala: Economic pulse and urban Catholicism
Douala, as Cameroon’s commercial capital, presents a different pastoral profile. Rapid urbanization, youth unemployment, migration, and informal economies characterize the city. The Church in Douala must address urban pastoral issues: catechesis in dense neighborhoods, youth outreach, and social advocacy.
The Archdiocese of Douala has been vocal on national issues, and its leadership has often carried moral authority beyond ecclesiastical boundaries.
A papal stop in Douala situates the Church within the country’s economic heart, where questions of inequality and development are acute.
Bamenda: Faith amid instability
Bamenda lies at the epicenter of the Anglophone crisis. Parishes in the region have experienced disruptions, and clergy have navigated security risks. The Church has called for dialogue, ceasefire, and protection of civilians.
A papal presence in Bamenda carries symbolic weight. It signals solidarity with communities affected by violence and underscores the Vatican’s concern for peace.
However, such a visit must balance encouragement with diplomatic caution. Explicit political statements could complicate local dynamics, while silence might disappoint those seeking moral clarity.
Continuity with past papal engagement
Cameroon has previously hosted a papal visit. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI visited the country, marking a major ecclesial event that included the promulgation of the Instrumentum Laboris for the Second Synod for Africa. That visit reinforced Cameroon’s role within the continental Church.
Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 journey will inevitably be compared with past papal engagements. Expectations will be shaped by memory: large public liturgies, strong doctrinal messages, and calls for ethical governance.
A Church of scale, influence, and responsibility
If Algeria represents the Church as historical memory and minority witness, Cameroon represents scale, institutional density, and public influence. The Catholic Church in Cameroon is not fragile in numbers; it is substantial. Its challenges are not invisibility but responsibility — how to steward influence in a politically sensitive and religiously competitive environment.
From April 15–18, as Pope Leo XIV moves through Yaoundé, Douala, and Bamenda, he will engage a Church that is confident yet tested, numerous yet diverse, socially influential yet morally scrutinized.
For observers of African Catholicism, Cameroon offers a case study in how demographic strength intersects with political engagement and social service. The papal visit will not redefine that structure overnight. It will, however, place it within the broader narrative of a global Church attentive to Africa not as periphery but as center.
In that sense, Cameroon stands not only as the second stop on the Holy Father’s itinerary, but as a microcosm of the contemporary African Catholic experience — complex, vibrant, and consequential.
‘Massports’ initiative urges kids to attend Mass during Lent
Children at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, have a little more incentive to attend Mass during Lent.
The parish instituted an incentive program called Massports during Advent in 2025 and brought it back for Lent this year. All children from 3 years old to eighth grade are encouraged to bring their passport booklets to Mass each weekend to receive a sticker after Mass, personally handed out by the priests and deacons.
After the Feb. 21 Saturday night Mass, kids swarmed pastor Father Daniel Velasco, associate pastor Father Joji Reddy Allam, and Deacon Quinton Thomas, eager to get their first sticker.
After Easter, children who received a sticker for all six Sundays in Lent will get a special treat. For those who are traveling during spring break, they can attend Mass at another parish and ask their parents or the priest to sign the booklet. For school students who aren’t Catholic, they can ask their minister or parents to sign off each Sunday they go to church.
Principal Amber Bagby said the pastoral council began discussing how to encourage greater attendance at Mass, especially among families with children, and the idea of Massports was born.
Bagby said she was encouraged by how the program went during Advent, seeing children attend Mass with neighbors or grandparents if their parents couldn’t bring them. The program expanded during Lent to include seventh- and eighth-graders this year.
Of the 350 students in pre-K through sixth grade, 220 turned in their Massports after the Christmas break and received a treat from the snow cone truck. After Easter, Bagby said they will plan for another surprise for the students who participated.
“The kids thrive off incentives and just the sheer challenge of it all,” Bagby said. “We started small with the Advent season to see how it would play out the first time around, and it was wildly successful. So I told Father, ‘Why don’t we try it one more time at Lent,’ and then we will see how it progresses from there, if it grows into maybe a summer challenge. It’s just a way to get more kids actively invested in their Sunday Mass obligation and try not to put any guilt or shame in there.”
Sixth grader Harper Couch said: “Sometimes I would put Mass off, but the Massports motivated me to go. It was more about being with God rather than the big prize. So now I like going.”
Classmate Lillian Richards agreed. “I think it is good for kids who typically don’t like going to Mass. It brings me closer to Jesus and keeps me motivated.”
After Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, Massports were given to all children in the parish, including those who attend Youth Faith Formation classes on Sunday mornings. Andrew Baka, youth faith formation director, said Massports were given to the 49 students in parish religious education during Advent, but sadly, none of the children turned them in after Christmas.
He said he had already begun promoting it to the parents and students on Feb. 22 in the hope that most of them would get more involved. He said he already noticed that at Sunday Masses, he saw some new families or one student brought a friend to Mass so they could get their sticker.
“I know there are a lot of people who don’t go to Mass. I can’t tell you in Advent and (the first Sunday in Lent Feb. 22) how many of the people that I see normally at Mass, with their friends with them that don’t normally come to Mass or families that I don’t always see all the time,” Baka said. “You could tell it was one mom or one dad or one parent was there so the kid could get their sticker. I definitely think the kids are pushing mom and dad or asking if they can go with a friend.”
Velasco said he supports the program, encouraging the children at the end of Mass: “Bring your parents to Mass next week.”
“I got to see kids that I didn’t see regularly at Mass,” he said of when Massports was introduced during Advent. “The kids had to have the initiative to go to Mass. Sometimes I remember the kids saying they had to ask grandma or grandpa to bring them.”
This story was first published by the Arkansas Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.
Synod calls for more leadership roles for women but female diaconate ‘not yet ripe’
The final report of the Synod on Synodality’s study group “Women’s Participation in the Life and Leadership of the Church” raises the possibility of “reformulating” certain competencies and functions of priests, deacons, and bishops to give women greater responsibility in the Church, while noting that the issue of the female diaconate “is not ripe.”
“It is necessary to reflect in particular on the reformulation of the areas of competence of ordained ministry,” states the final report of the group that studied women’s participation in the life and governance of the Church, published by the Vatican on Tuesday in Italian and English.
This is one of the 10 groups established by Pope Francis in 2024 after the first session of the Synod on Synodality.
The work and report of this group were coordinated by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the document, this team expresses openness to “the possibility of new ministries — including those of community leadership — for lay men and women, and for men and women religious.”
The 86-page report, whose publication was authorized by Pope Leo XIV, notes an “unease” regarding forms of “machismo” and “clericalism” within the Church and therefore proposes a redefinition of governing power that provides new leadership positions for women.
In this regard, it emphasizes that “redefining these areas of competence could pave the way for the recognition of new spaces of responsibility for women in the Church.”
Regarding the female diaconate, the report states that the issue “is not yet ripe” and refers to the work carried out by previous commissions — the second of which issued an opinion against it — without reaching a definitive judgment.
The proposals now circulated are also not definitive. They have been submitted to the pope for his consideration.
More than a hierarchical ‘concession’
The text argues that it is necessary to “overcome the conception of women’s active participation in the life and governance of the Church as a ‘concession’ from hierarchical authority.”
According to the document, women’s involvement should not be understood as a mere functional substitution but as a reality linked to baptismal dignity, since women are “holders of a right in this regard, inasmuch as they are baptized and bearers of charisms.”
The document also states that “there is no reason or impediment preventing women from exercising leadership roles in the Church” and emphasizes that “the mere fact of being a woman does not, in itself, prevent women from assuming leadership roles in the Church.”
From an ecclesiological perspective, the study group participants consider it necessary “to overcome the artificial separation between genders and roles, considering the shared dignity of all creatures created in the image and likeness of God.”
In this vein, the group emphasizes that priority must be given “to the order of being with respect to that of doing,” recalling that participation in the mission of the Church is based, above all, on baptism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit present in the people of God.
The report notes that the discernment of these charisms belongs to the bishop, who can recognize them through a mandate, delegating [a function], or the institution of a specific ministry. However, it cautions that this process “is not a solitary decision” but must also involve the ecclesial community.
Role of the laity in the exercise of the bishop’s ministry
From a theological and canonical perspective, the document clarifies that the lay faithful do not participate in holy orders, although they can collaborate in the exercise of the bishop’s ministry.
In this context, the authors emphasize that both Pope Francis and Leo XIV put this guideline into practice by appointing women to positions of authority in the Roman Curia, which constitutes “a model for reflection.”
“The recent appointments of women to positions of responsibility in some dicasteries constitute a prophetic sign of both symbolic and practical significance. They represent a first step towards opening new spaces for participation, recognizing that the capacity for governance and discernment is not the exclusive prerogative of the male gender,” the study group emphasizes.
Warning about clericalism
The document warns, however, that attitudes marked by “clericalism” still persist. In this regard, it points out that “women, even in positions of responsibility, sometimes have difficulty participating and being heard on equal terms with their male colleagues, especially in interactions with ordained ministers.”
At the same time, it notes that the authority proper to the clergy derives mainly from their relationship with the Eucharist and from their mission to safeguard the unity of the community, although this “does not exclude that a power to guide communities may be conferred, at least in some cases, also on lay faithful.”
The report adds that the pope’s primatial authority can also be delegated to baptized individuals who have not received holy orders, as established by the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium. Therefore, the document concludes that “there appear to be no obstacles to extending this approach to the local level in dioceses as well.”
Women’s participation is ‘a true sign of the times’
However, the report also observes signs of change. Many women perceive increasing recognition from male leaders who have understood that their participation “is not a concession or an adaptation to passing cultural trends but a true sign of the times.”
This new awareness, the document adds, could become “a prerequisite for lasting structural transformation.”
The synod’s secretary-general, Cardinal Mario Grech, stated in the report’s summary that “courage, accompaniment, and patience will be necessary to introduce gradual changes” in order to preserve ecclesial communion and build communities that fully value the gifts and charisms of men and women.
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.
Tehran cardinal meets with Pope Leo XIV after being evacuated from Iran
Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan Cardinal Dominique Mathieu met with the pope March 11 after witnessing the first days of military clashes in the Iranian capital.
Mathieu had been leading the Roman Catholic Church in Iran, which has about 2,000 members, despite the ongoing anti-government protests, U.S. and Israeli threats against the regime, and his own recovery from serious health issues.
Italy closed its embassy in Tehran, and the cardinal’s residence is on the grounds, so the archbishop had to leave with the diplomatic representation. He then took a flight from Azerbaijan to Rome, arriving last weekend.
Mathieu’s whereabouts had been unknown after President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran launched strikes on U.S. bases and forces, Israel, and the Gulf states.
The 62-year-old Belgian cardinal, a member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals, became archbishop of Iran in 2021 and was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2024.
CatholicVote launches ‘Zeale for America 250’ campaign encouraging prayer, patriotism
Political advocacy group CatholicVote has unveiled a national initiative encouraging Catholics in prayer, patriotism, and pilgrimage on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
With the participation of Cardinal Raymond Burke, the campaign, branded as “Zeale for America 250,” invites Americans to cultivate patriotic virtue by joining a virtual prayer pilgrimage centered on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Participants are encouraged to engage in a structured program authored by Burke that includes daily personal as well as group prayer, an eight-part video series on the virtue of patriotism, guidance for enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in homes, and a Fourth of July novena.
The campaign will also include the “Zeale for America 250 Rally,” which will take place on Saturday, June 13, at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The event will feature Burke, Catholic media personality Michael J. Knowles, and other well-known Catholic leaders.
“We need Americans committed to pray daily to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the renewal of our country that only God can bring,” CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt said.
Part of White House ‘America Prays’ initiative
The campaign has been placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. It is also part of the White House America Prays initiative, of which CatholicVote is an official partner and which aims to enlist 1 million Americans to dedicate an hour of prayer each week for the nation.
“The White House America Prays initiative brings God and prayer into the heart of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which itself references God four times,” Reinhardt said in a statement to EWTN News.
“America Prays affirms that God hears and answers our prayers and invites Americans to imagine how bright our future could be if 1 million citizens committed to praying an hour each week for our country,” she said.
“Through Zeale for America 250 and our collaboration with Cardinal Burke, we hope to inspire Catholics and people of goodwill across the nation to answer that call and pray for America at this historic moment,” Reinhardt added.
In the press release, Burke said: “I am grateful to join CatholicVote in this important endeavor of prayer for our nation,” he said. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, it is fitting that we turn with humble confidence to Almighty God, acknowledging our dependence upon his providence and imploring his divine mercy.”
“It is my earnest hope that every Catholic in America will unite with us in this commitment to prayer throughout the year and especially during the season of Lent, asking the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to renew our hearts and to guide our nation in the way of truth, justice, and peace,” Burke said.
Reinhardt concluded: “With the participation of America’s faithful, we will make our nation’s 250th anniversary not only a celebration of her past achievements but also a renewed commitment to her spiritual future,” she added. “We will transform our country by asking Our Lord to grant her sincere spiritual renewal and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.”
FDA abortion-by-mail policy puts women in danger, report finds
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed in-person dispensing, the dangers of abortion drugs increased for women, according to a March 10 report.
The FDA used to require an in-person visit for the prescription of abortion drugs — a requirement that was in flux in 2020 and has been revoked since 2021.
The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) looked at data across a period of about six years (2017–2023) and found that the rate at which women experienced serious adverse events increased “significantly” with no in-person requirements in place.
The report found this to be “especially true” for women with ectopic pregnancies — a life-threatening condition that can only be diagnosed by a doctor in person.
According to the EPPC report, the rate of serious adverse events increased by 1.35 percentage points from when in-person visits were required to when the requirement was in flux and removed. For women with ectopic pregnancies, the rate of harm was 52% higher after the in-person policy was revoked.
The serious adverse rate was found to be 10.15% before the policy was revoked, and 11.50% after, but the label for the abortion drug lists the rate of serious adverse events as “less than 0.5%.”
This study is one among several pointing to a higher rate of serious problems. Multiple other studies have shown high rates of hospitalizations for women taking the abortion pill. Chemical abortion has a complication rate four times that of surgical abortion, according to one study.
Heartbeat International — a worldwide network of pregnancy help centers — said it is hearing more calls from women with complications after going through a chemical abortion.
“As the abortion pill has become more widely used, we are hearing from more women who call with complications or concerns after taking it,” Heartbeat International told EWTN News. “Some experience heavy bleeding, severe pain, or infection, while others realize they regret their decision after taking the first pill and are urgently looking for help.”
“Many women we hear from who have these concerns express a feeling of betrayal, as they were sold on the idea that abortion was no big deal,” Heartbeat continued.
“When the in-person requirement for abortion pills was removed, it meant women could obtain abortion pills online without a physical exam or ultrasound,” Heartbeat stated. “That removes important safeguards that determine the gestational age and viability of the baby and also help detect life-threatening conditions like ectopic pregnancy.”
“On the ground level, this means some women are taking these powerful drugs without fully understanding the risks and only seeking medical help after serious complications occur,” Heartbeat stated. “That is why we, along with other pro-life organizations, have called on the FDA to reinstate commonsense safeguards that help protect women from unnecessary harm and abuse.”
“Unfortunately, it has also opened a door for abusers to obtain the drug and force women into aborting their wanted babies,” Heartbeat continued. “There are multiple cases in Texas, Illinois, and Ohio already documented, and it will continue until the REMS are reinstated.”
In one case, Rosalie Markezich, a Louisiana woman, was coerced into taking abortion drugs that her then-boyfriend obtained via mail from a doctor in California, according to an ongoing lawsuit.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, who heads Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a group whose mission is to end abortion, pointed to the death toll of the policy.
“Since Biden’s FDA removed the in-person dispensing requirement, their explosive growth is responsible for more than 60% of at least 1.1 million deaths a year in our nation — more than fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine combined,” Dannenfelser told EWTN News. “This demands action by itself.”
“When you add the thousands of women and girls landing in emergency rooms with severe complications, which increasingly includes violent assaults and poisonings by abusers since there are no real checks on who is ordering, the commonsense case for taking these dangerous drugs out of the mail — at a minimum — only grows with every passing day,” Dannenfelser said.
Mail-order pills can be shipped into every state even if they are illegal in the state in question, making chemical abortion easily accessible, with recent numbers showing that chemical abortions make up about two-thirds of all U.S. abortions.
“Abortion drugs are undermining pro-life progress since Dobbs and causing a public health crisis in America,” Dannenfelser said.
Dannenfelser called on the current administration to reinstate these protections.
“Only the Trump-Vance administration seems to be the outlier now, with its own DOJ [Department of Justice] telling the states not to expect support in upholding their laws until well after midterms,” she said. “This is a serious miscalculation, as one-third of the GOP’s most engaged base voters may sit out if the administration abandons its commitment to life.”
“Not only are 51 U.S. senators, 175 representatives, and 21 attorneys general calling for safeguards like in-person doctor visits to be immediately reinstated, but also, this pressing safety threat brings self-identified pro-choice and liberal Americans to the table,” Dannenfelser said.
“The very least they must do is simply reinstate the policies of President Trump’s first term,” she continued. “And we are not going to stop calling for action to protect countless lives.”
EWTN News explains: How does the Chaldean Church elect its next patriarch?
Pope Leo XIV announced this week that he had accepted the resignation of Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako from the leadership of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and throughout the world after more than a decade of service marked by major pastoral and political challenges.
The resignation raises questions about the timing of the move — especially given the difficulties facing Iraq, home to the Chaldean patriarchal see — and the broader Middle East amid the horrors of war and renewed conflicts.
But other questions about the next step in this transitional period, and about how a successor to the resigned patriarch will be elected, may be even more pressing today for the faithful looking to the future at a time when the Church in Iraq and the countries of the East more broadly faces fundamental challenges to its presence in its historic homeland, especially the continuing drain of emigration.
An autonomous, self-governing church within the Catholic Church
The Chaldean Church, one of the churches born from the ancient Church of the East, is one of the Eastern Churches that follows the papal authority in Rome while at the same time enjoying “self-governance” under Canon 27 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. This allows it to manage its internal affairs in accordance with the law it has established for itself or with the higher authority in the Catholic Church.
It is also important to note that the process of electing a new patriarch is the same in all Eastern Catholic Churches.
How is a patriarch of the Chaldean Church elected?
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, discussed by Father Salim Saka, a specialist in canon law, in his book on the Eastern Catholic patriarchates, lays out the mechanisms for electing a new patriarch. It first states that the bishop senior by episcopal ordination among the bishops of the patriarchal territory becomes the administrator of the Church when the patriarchal see is vacant, whether because of “the death of the patriarch or his resignation.”
The administrator is responsible for preparing everything necessary for the election of the new patriarch and for convoking the Synod of Bishops, whose members are in turn obliged to attend the election unless a legitimate impediment arises.
The code also affirms that the election of a patriarch “in a lawful manner” takes place in the Synod of Bishops of the Church, which must be held “at the patriarchal residence or in another place designated by the administrator with the consent of the synod” within one month from the date of the vacancy, while observing the particular law of the Church, provided that the period does not exceed two months.
Only the synod fathers have the right to vote. No one else may be present in the election hall, except clerics who assist in counting the votes and recording the proceedings. At the same time, the law does not require that the person elected patriarch already be a bishop at the time of the election.
A two-thirds quorum
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches sets the legal quorum at two-thirds of the synod fathers “after excluding those detained by a legitimate impediment,” so that the synod may be considered lawful and capable of electing the patriarch.
Unless there are different criteria under the particular law of the Church, the person who obtains a two-thirds majority is considered elected, underscoring the need for broad agreement on the future patriarch.
The synod fathers must observe the legal time frame for the election, which is 15 days. If the election fails within that period, the matter is referred to the Roman pontiff.
Acceptance, announcement, and enthronement
If the person elected does not declare his acceptance within two days, he loses every right acquired through the election. If he accepts, the synod announces the election of the new patriarch and sets the date for his enthronement.
The new patriarch must then request ecclesiastical communion from the Roman pontiff by a signed written letter as soon as possible. Although he does not begin to exercise his responsibilities lawfully until after enthronement, he may not convoke the Synod of Bishops or ordain any bishop before receiving ecclesiastical communion from the Roman pontiff.
What about the resigned patriarch?
The code also states that a patriarch who resigns from office “retains his title and dignity, especially in liturgical celebrations.” A suitable residence is to be provided for him, with his consent, along with decent means of support.
Election, then hereditary succession, then election again
It is worth noting that Patriarch Shimun IV Basidi (1437–1497) introduced hereditary succession in the selection of patriarchs, replacing election, so that the choice of a new patriarch was restricted to members of the previous patriarch’s family. This provoked dissatisfaction and opposition within the Church, especially in 1539, when “Patriarch Shimun VII Ishoyahb (1538–1558) was compelled to ordain his nephew, who had scarcely reached the age of 12, as metropolitan because there was no one else in the patriarchal family.”
At that time, the opponents gathered and chose Yohannan Sulaqa as patriarch. He then went to Rome to establish union with the Catholic Church. There he received episcopal ordination from Pope Julius III in April 1553, who proclaimed him patriarch of the Chaldeans, vested him with the sacred pallium, and gave him the bull granting him authority over the East, India, and China, making him the first Chaldean patriarch in the “Catholic” Chaldean Church.
The roots of Christianity in Mesopotamia go back to the first centuries after Christ. According to tradition, the apostle Thomas is regarded as the founder and first preacher of Christianity there, together with Addai, one of the 72 disciples, and his disciples Aggai and Mari. In later ages, the Christians of Mesopotamia came to be known as the Church of the East.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bishop Zaidan: ‘Pray for peace’ as Middle East war continues
Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan urged people to “pray for peace” during a March 11 interview with “EWTN News In Depth” as war continues to engulf several nations in the Middle East, including his home country of Lebanon.
Zaidan, who serves as the Maronite Eparch of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, is also chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace.
“Peace has to start within the heart,” Zaidan said. “If we don’t have peace within our hearts, we can never have peace outside. Starting within ourselves, let God’s presence move us and guide us so that we could really enjoy lasting peace, the peace that is a gift from God in every way.”
The bishop discussed some of the sentiment in his home country, Lebanon, which was drawn into the war on March 2.
Hezbollah, a Shia militant group that receives Iranian support in southern Lebanon, launched rockets into Israel, which prompted Israel Defense Forces to retaliate with attacks in southern Lebanon, including suburbs of Beirut. The Lebanese government has told Hezbollah to stand down.
One Maronite Catholic priest, Father Pierre El Raii, was killed in the Israeli strikes.
Zaidan, who did not personally know the priest but does know the bishop, said he “extended my condolences to his bishop” and said the priest was “attached to his community and to his parish, to his hometown as well.” He noted El Raii “didn’t want to leave” his town.
“From what we know, unfortunately, [the] militia came to the town,” he said. “The town is mainly Maronite. It’s all Christian.”
The bishop said militias had attacked Israel from the town, which led to retaliatory Israeli strikes. He said: “Out of concern for his parishioners, [El Raii] went to see them in their home, and that’s what happened in the unfortunate situation as well.”
Zaidan echoed the calls of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi for peace in the region and said “the government has a responsibility to protect the people.” He said the Lebanese Catholics “don’t want any militia” in their towns.
“We don’t want any attacks against Israel from Lebanon, so that we won’t get the attacks from Israel on Lebanon as well, so that we need to stop what we call the spiral of violence,” Zaidan said.
Zaidan discusses war in Iran
The long-standing tensions in the Middle East escalated in late February, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and, as of March 11, more than 1,200 others.
Zaidan said that Iran seeks to “undermine the Lebanese government and Lebanon as a country and a nation,” noting that “Christians suffered because of that.”
When asked how Catholics in Lebanon felt about the ayatollah’s killing, he said “there was a sense of relief” because of Iran’s interference in Lebanon, but that “maybe we were hoping [for it] to be resolved in a different way, maybe so that we don’t get repercussions.”
“Even the Arab countries are also getting repercussions and consequences as well,” he said, in reference to Iranian attacks on several Gulf nations that host American military bases.
“We hope that situation will be resolved as early as possible because when you see Iranians coming to Lebanon to fight in Lebanon, we don’t want that,” he said. “We didn’t ask for that. We don’t want Lebanon to be used as a ground for violence. It’s not our culture.”
Zaidan also expressed sadness over a strike on an Iranian girls elementary school, which killed more than 160 civilians, saying: “We always consider human life as sacred,” adding: “God gave us that gift, and God only can take it from us.”
He said “none of us likes war” and the Church seeks “peaceful talks and peaceful resolutions” to this conflict. He noted that Pope Leo XIV has called for diplomacy.
“We’ve had enough violence, we’ve had enough of wars,” Zaidan said. “Unfortunately, not everybody heeds and hears and takes it to heart from that perspective.”
Trappists considering abandoning historic abbey after 900 years due to lack of vocations
After nearly 900 years, the Trappist monks may be leaving the Abbey of Our Lady of La Trappe in Normandy, France, one of the most iconic symbols of the Cistercian tradition founded in the 12th century.
The monks, who belong to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance — also known as the Trappist order, which follows the Rule of St. Benedict — reported that they were considering leaving the monastery around 2028 due to “the shortage of vocations and the increasing burden of owning the land.”
For the approximately 20 brothers who make up the community located in Soligny-la-Trappe in northwestern France, this decision would signify the end of an era, although they emphasized that the abbey will not close its doors nor is it for sale at the moment.
“Discussions are underway with other communities to find more suitable solutions, more economically and spiritually relevant. The situation has been difficult for several decades now, and many other abbeys have already changed hands,” they stated on March 6.
They added that “the departure of the brothers is very trying and is painful; it will undoubtedly be a profound loss for all those connected, sometimes for generations, to the community.”
Faithful to the tradition of the Rule of St. Benedict, the monks have a guesthouse where they receive the faithful “as if they were Christ himself” and welcome them so they can experience a moment of solitude and reflection in an atmosphere of prayer and peace, as stated on their website.
They also maintain a shop where they sell books, religious articles, and regional products handcrafted at the abbey.
‘An ideological secularism that is rotting the soul of the West’
Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, expressed his sadness at the possibility that the monks might leave the historic monastery.
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The prelate noted that it is the “motherhouse of the Trappist order,” a reform of the Cistercian movement and a “particularly intense form of Benedictine life, famous for its austerity and silence.”
Barron explained that he came to know the abbey through the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, an American theologian and writer, and emphasized that the La Trappe abbey “has survived the Black Death, the Hundred Years’ War, the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, and the world wars of the 20th century.”
“That this venerable monastery cannot find enough vocations to keep it alive is, in my judgment, a sign of the spiritual disaster that has befallen Europe in the last hundred years: an ideological secularism that is rotting the soul of the West,” he lamented.
Given this situation, the bishop asked for renewed prayers so that the monks “might find a way to preserve their great abbey. It is needed especially now.”
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.
As the number of religious sisters declines, Catholic women continue to focus on Church’s mission
Research over the past six decades reveals that the number of Catholic sisters has steadily declined, but they remain committed to what they believe matters most — expanding ministries and serving more people.
Based on findings from the Official Catholic Directory, the Vatican’s Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, and other research from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of religious sisters has plummeted since 1965.
In 1965, there were 178,740 religious sisters in the United States. By 1985, there were 115,386, and in 2000 there were 79,814. Based on the latest reports, in 2025 there were only 33,135 sisters in the U.S., accounting for an 82% decrease over the past 60 years.
“The goal of Catholic sisters is to always have more missions. Not necessarily more sisters,” Sister Teresa Maya, CCVI, senior director of theology and sponsorship at the Catholic Health Association of the United States, told EWTN News.
It is important that sisters “partner with the people of God, and with men and women of goodwill, that are willing to join us in making sure [those] who are the most vulnerable are getting the care, the presence, and the education that they deserve as children of God,” she said.
Despite the decline, religious sisters continue to dedicate their lives to prayer, evangelization, and serving those in need. From March 8 to March 14 these religious sisters are celebrated during the annual Catholic Sisters Week, which takes place each year at the start of women’s history month.
The week is organized by Communicators for Women Religious, an organization “advancing the mission of Catholic sisters” in more than 50 countries and territories. The 2026 theme is “Stories of Hope and Heart,” intended to capture the essence Catholic sisters hope to share through presence, encouragement, and accompaniment.
Work of Catholic sisters
Sisters today are active in a diverse array of ministries. “You can find them in Catholic higher education, governments, serving as sponsors, or you can find them serving as mission leaders, in pastoral care, or chaplains,” Maya said.
As they carry out their own missions, sisters are also simultaneously helping other women discern religious life. Young women discerning their calling in the Church should “let the charism take you, because in many ways, it’s the Holy Spirit that’s the root of that call,” Maya said,
“And then once that happens, you, as an individual, have gifts from the Holy Spirit that will help energize the charism of that institute,” she said. Also “trust the gifts of the spirit to point you in the direction of the ministry that God wants for you at this time.”
Sister Mary Kay Dobrovolny, RSM, coordinator for New Member Ministry for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, said “vowed religious life remains an attractive and viable option for many young adults today,” as it offers both a life dedicated to Christ and the opportunity to serve causes they are most passionate about.
“Many young adults are drawn to a life in community, centered in God, and extending out to serve those most marginalized in our world. Sometimes there is a challenge of visibility of the fullness of our life,” Dobrovolny said in a statement to EWTN News.
“One young woman told me it was a ‘game changer’ for her when she learned that someone as passionate about environmental justice as she could be a sister,” she said. “We, and our ministries, remain deeply relevant today.”
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN), an international apostolic congregation of Catholic sisters, has an emphasis in education and assisting impoverished women and children, which remains “attractive to faithful young women today,” Sister Kristin Matthes, SNDdeN, said in a statement to EWTN News.
“We see young women learning about the work of our sisters through their attendance at SNDdeN-sponsored schools and getting involved with programs and volunteer opportunities that illuminate our mission," she said.
The sisters work with schools to offer programs including “Adopt-A-Sister,” which matches young women and sisters for visits and discussions each month. Volunteer opportunities and high school book clubs with the sisters also promote conversation as they discern their callings in the Church.
Women in other roles in the Catholic Church
The many ministries sisters serve are also carried out by a number of laywomen who may have not discerned religious life but still choose to live out the Church’s mission.
“Every Catholic ministry in the United States, probably, is a 9 to 1 ratio between laymen and women” and religious, Maya said. “They collaborate in every area. The professors, the teachers in Catholic universities or Catholic schools, or even coaches, to nurses, doctors, administrators, accountants, or pastoral care leaders.”
“There’s just a lot of roles… but what matters is that all these organizations are faithful to Catholic identity, that they are places that respect human dignity, are welcoming, but above all, that they have a mission to care and a mission to evangelize,” she said.
Sisters and non-sisters alike are also taking on high levels of leadership roles, even at the Vatican. The percentage of Vatican employees who are women grew from 19.2% to 23.4% during the first decade of the last pontificate.
Pope Francis appointed a number of women to top positions at the Vatican, and Pope Leo XIV has recently followed the trajectory by appointing two religious sisters to the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Margherita Romanelli, president of the Women in the Vatican (“Donne in Vaticano”) Association, commended the newest female appointments by the pope. They “have greatly helped other women in the workforce to feel valued and to commit themselves to working for the common good, alongside men,” she told EWTN News’ “Vaticano.”
Romanelli, who has worked at the Vatican for 31 years across four pontificates, said associations like hers, “which are inspired by Gospel values, have a very important role to play in collaborating with all women.” She is “confident that the number of women in top positions will continue to increase.”
“I think the Church benefits from tapping into the skills, the experience, and the intuitiveness of women,” said Marianne Mount, a consultor to the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the Vatican. “I’m very happy that Pope Leo is continuing the tradition that Pope Francis really tried to initiate during his pontificate.”