Pope Leo to meet Rubio following tensions with Trump
On Monday, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7.
The meeting follows a period of tension between the Holy See and U.S. President Donald Trump. In April, Trump publicly attacked the pontiff on social media, calling him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in response to the pontiffʼs appeals for peace amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Leo XIV has called repeatedly for a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in the Middle East. In April, he described Trumpʼs threats against Iranian civilization as "not acceptable."
Trump criticized Leo, stating that he did not “want a pope who thinks itʼs OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Leo responded that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” but a few days later said he had no interest in debating the president.
As originally reported by Vatican News, Rubio will meet the pope at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. It will be their second meeting, following their previous meeting after the popeʼs Mass of installation on May 18, 2025. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was also in attendance at that meeting.
Also on the morning of May 7, Leo will meet with the prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, at 9 a.m.
Pope Leo XIV: U.S. charities face challenges, but Christ is with us
Pope Leo XIV praised the work of Catholic Charities USA on Monday, encouraging the organization not to be discouraged despite institutional challenges.
In his address to the board of directors during a private audience, the pontiff expressed gratitude for their work with the less fortunate in the United States and noted the current funding difficulties the organization and similar organizations face from the United States government.
“As was the case with the apostles and with the early Church, the proclamation of the Gospel through caring for the poor and for those most in need will always present certain difficulties on both the personal and the institutional levels,” Leo said. “I am fully aware that the Catholic Charities agencies in the United States of America are by no means immune from these challenges that continue to manifest themselves in our own day. Yet it is precisely when we are confronted with such obstacles that we must learn to hear Jesus’ voice saying to us once again, ‘I am with you always!’”
Kerry Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, described the audience with Leo as encouraging for their work in helping disadvantaged people. In a press briefing after the audience, she discussed her organizationʼs recent funding cuts from the U.S. government, citing policy differences on migration and donor skepticism following cases of abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church.
“Agencies that have had decades-long relationships with the USCCB to resettle refugees continue to care for the people in their charge, even in light of across-the-board federal cuts,” Robinson told EWTN News. “Catholic Charities USA at the national level is almost entirely privately funded, so we did not see direct cuts. For 20 years, we have been working to usher in a culture of contemporary best practices, accountability, and financial transparency to restore trust in the Church. Because of the hard work of the last two decades, we do not see that crisis negatively affecting Catholic Charities' fundraising today.”
During the audience, Robinson gave the pope a book detailing the “People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors” initiative in which a museum of hope, outfitted in a car, will embark on a three-year nationwide tour, encouraging visitors to the car museum to look for ways to help the less fortunate.
Robinson described the initiative as not merely making a difference in oneʼs life but as a cause to “actually end generational cycles of violence and poverty.”
Pope Leo to visit a much more secularized Spain since Pope Benedict’s World Youth Day in 2011
Pope Benedict XVI drew more than a million young people to World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, an event that left its mark on an entire generation. Fifteen years later, Spain is preparing to welcome a new pontiff, Leo XIV, in a profoundly different religious landscape.
Over this period, the faith and religious practice of Spanish society have undergone significant changes. Ahead of the popeʼs upcoming visit in June, two experts reflected on this development and the spiritual reality that Leo XIV will encounter upon his arrival in Spain.
A less religious society
Rafael Ruiz Andrés, a professor who holds a doctorate in sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid, explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that Benedict XVI arrived in Spain during what he called “the third wave of secularization” since the beginning of the 21st century.
He noted that in today’s society and especially among young people, this secularization has accelerated and intensified: “Undoubtedly, we are in a less religious society,” he stated.
According to the latest data released by the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation in its 2025 Barometer on Religion and Beliefs in Spain, nearly half of all Spaniards (42%) no longer identify with any religion, while the percentage of religious individuals — predominantly Catholic — stands at around 50% to 56%.
Ruiz noted that just a few decades ago, the majority of the Spanish population identified as Catholic, a fact that in his view also underscores “our sense of secularization.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that half the population still represents a significant number of people.
Catholic youth in 2011 and today
Though there are currently fewer young Catholics than in 2011, Ruiz emphasized that among the youth of 2026, there are signs "that Catholicism once again interests and challenges them.”
Reflecting this trend are the findings of the “Young Spaniards 2026” report by the SM Foundation, which reveals an increase in the importance young people attach to religion: 38.4% state that it is “quite or very important” in their lives.
The number of young people who identify as Catholic has also grown notably: In 2020, it stood at 31.6%, and by 2025, it had risen to 45%.
Bishop Emeritus César Augusto Franco Martínez of Segovia was responsible for coordinating Pope Benedict XVI’s World Youth Day as well as writing the lyrics for the hymn “Firmes en la Fe” (“Firm in the Faith”), which was composed for the event.
The prelate noted the similarities between the two generations. “They are young people who wish to live happily, who desire to achieve the goals they may have set for themselves, and who possess faith,” he said in a conversation with ACI Prensa.
Reflecting on young people’s faith, the prelate alluded to World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon in 2023: “There, I thought that even though time has passed, it seems that young people have not changed.”
“In Lisbon, too, there were a million and a half young people, and their conduct, their dedication, generosity, and joy was truly spectacular,” he said.
Young people living out their faith without inhibitions
Ruiz said the Catholic youth of 15 years ago were marked by polarization surrounding debates on sexual and reproductive rights, abortion, or same-sex marriage legislation. “One could say that at that time the Church had a more marginalized position with respect to young people.”
“I believe that the young person of 2026 is, generally speaking, less inhibited when discussing their faith and religiosity with their peers. The current generation takes being Catholic more naturally. It has become more normalized and, consequently, is also more visible,” he noted.
He also emphasized that the phenomena of youth apostolates such as Hakuna, Effetá, and their extensive impact on social media “point to that increased visibility in 2026 compared to 2011.”
Ultimately, he stated that although the number of young Catholics in 2026 is lower than in 2011, “a new dialogue is now opening up between the Catholic Church and Spanish youth, one that moves beyond those polarizations and is in fact fostered by the very context of secularity.”
Ruiz emphasized that religion continues to be “a very important issue” in Spain as well as tradition, culture, spirituality, and the search for meaning — elements that have not disappeared despite secularization.
The professor also said that secularization in Spain “is not an inevitable destiny.”
Catholic ‘awakening’ needs maturity and depth
According to the bishop emeritus of Segovia, today’s youth are marked by a “tsunami” culture; that is, “they seek to live somewhat through their senses, through whatever impacts them immediately, enjoying the present day without harboring many expectations for tomorrow, even though the future also worries them.”
“Faith,” he added, “is not a fleeting sentiment that is here today and gone tomorrow; faith is something far more profound; it is entering into a relationship with Christ in a vital, existential way. This requires depth, requires personal engagement, requires prayer, requires living in community, and not letting oneself be carried away solely by trends that may end up being more or less passing.”
He said that many young people express their religious yearnings, even if they do not know how to articulate them or put them into practice. “We also live in a multicultural and multireligious society ... many say they believe in God, yet they also believe in reincarnation and in other trends coming from Asia.”
The prelate emphasized that man “is a religious being by nature, even if he denies it, because imprinted within his very being is a yearning for transcendence that only God could have put there: a yearning for the infinite, for boundless happiness, for beauty, and for truth; and that’s something that young people have.”
He also pointed to the increase in adult baptisms: “It’s a phenomenon that must be examined closely, without allowing oneself to be carried away by facile slogans.”
A message of hope for Spanish youth
Ruiz emphasized that Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain could serve as a “compass for Catholicism in Spain.” He highlighted in particular the pope’s trip to the Canary Islands as a gesture of solidarity with the migration situation in the country: “The social dimension is one of the challenges facing certain sectors of the Church,” he noted.
He emphasized that the pope’s dialogue with contemporary society will differ from the one maintained by Benedict XVI. “I believe it will be post-secular in nature, that of a religious leader belonging to a denomination of immense significance in our country, yet one who speaks to a diverse, pluralistic society and who offers a vital message capable of being heard by audiences wider than the Church itself."
He said he hopes his visit will “encourage young people and everyone to follow Christ with fidelity and to love the Church without prejudice, despite the failings that we Christians may have.”
“For me, this is a trip filled with hope, and I am certain that it will encourage us to be better Christians and to live in today’s world as witnesses to the Gospel,” he added.
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.
Ethics and Public Policy Center at 50: A part of America’s ‘secret sauce’
WASHINGTON — As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) is also celebrating an auspicious anniversary this year: its 50th.
Several hundred supporters of this uniquely ecumenical think tank, which explicitly engages on pressing public policy questions within the context of the country’s historic Judeo-Christian moral framework, celebrated the milestone at an April 30 gala at the cavernous National Building Museum.
The event was headlined by New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, a Catholic, as keynote speaker. In an interview with EWTN News just prior to the event, Douthat credited the EPPC for both its success and resilience in “maintaining a place for a serious religious conservativism in American political discourse.”
Douthat contrasted the influence of EPPC’s scholars and the American experience with that of Western Europe, which he said suffers severely from a “suffocating secular-liberal, social and cultural liberal consensus in which religious arguments don’t find any purchase and in which ethical norms are all basically utilitarian, in which abortion and increasingly euthanasia are sort of taken for granted.”
For his part, EPPC President Ryan Anderson, also a Catholic, told EWTN News the think tank is part of the “secret sauce” of a country whose founders, such as President John Adams, firmly held that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Citing the U.S. Declaration of Independence during his speech to the assembly, Anderson said EPPC stands for “the proposition that all men are created equal, that we’re endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights, and that amongst these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Our guiding lights 50 years ago remain the same today: the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the natural law tradition, Western Civilization in general, and the American constitutional order in particular,” Anderson said.
Anderson pointed out that as the country celebrates its 250th and EPPC its 50th, “EPPC is needed now more than ever, to bear witness to the truth about the human person.”
He said EPPC conducts its work in an “intentionally ecumenical way” as a community of Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic scholars “developing and deploying the Jewish and Christian traditions to contemporary questions of law, culture, and politics.”
As they do in the country at large, Catholic scholars and related initiatives play a major role in the EPPC’s work. The institution runs ongoing programs in fields including bioethics, technology and human flourishing, and Catholic studies, and runs the Catholic Women’s Forum, the Person and Identity Project, and the Life and Family Initiative, among others.
In addition to Anderson, Catholic scholars who continue to occupy leadership roles at the EPPC include two of the institution’s former presidents, George Weigel and Ed Whelan, along with Mary Hasson, Stephen White, O. Carter Snead, Noelle Mering, Aaron Kheriaty, Theresa Farnan, Mary FioRito, Francis Maier, Jennifer Bryson, and Clare Morell, among others.
Pope Leo XIV remembers journalists killed by war and violence
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday remembered journalists and reporters killed by war and violence, warning that press freedom is often violated around the world.
Speaking after the May 3 Regina Coeli in St. Peter’s Square, the pope noted that the day marked World Press Freedom Day, promoted by UNESCO.
“Unfortunately, this right is often violated — sometimes blatantly, sometimes in more subtle ways,” Pope Leo said. “Let us remember the many journalists and reporters who have fallen victim to wars and violence.”
The pope’s appeal came as press freedom faces growing pressure worldwide. According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders, global press freedom has deteriorated to its lowest point in at least 25 years, with more than half of the world’s countries now classified as being in a “difficult” or “very serious” situation for journalism.
The organization has warned that journalists face mounting economic pressure, direct violence, legal threats, and other restrictions that compromise the independence of the media.
The pope also marked the beginning of May, a month traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, inviting Catholics to pray the rosary.
“The month of May has begun: Throughout the Church, the joy of gathering in the name of Mary, our mother, is renewed, especially by praying the rosary together,” he said.
Leo entrusted his intentions to Mary, “particularly for communion within the Church and for peace in the world.”
Earlier, in his catechesis before the Marian prayer, the pope reflected on Sunday’s Gospel from the Last Supper, in which Jesus tells his disciples: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”
Leo said this promise “involves us from this moment onwards in the mystery of his Resurrection” and reveals that “God has a place for everyone.”
“Even now, faced with death, Jesus speaks of a home, but this time a very large one,” he said. “It is the house of his Father and our Father, where there is room for all.”
The pope contrasted the world’s attraction to exclusive places and privileges with the new world opened by the risen Christ.
“In the new world into which the risen One leads us, however, what is most valuable is within everyone’s reach,” he said. “Gratitude takes the place of competition; welcome overcomes exclusion; and abundance no longer entails inequality.”
Leo said faith frees the heart “from the anxiety of possessing and acquiring” and from the illusion that human worth depends on prestige.
“Each person already has infinite worth in the mystery of God, which is the true reality,” he said.
By living Christ’s new commandment of love, the pope said, Christians already “anticipate heaven on earth.”
“By loving one another as Jesus has loved us, we impart this awareness to one another,” he said. “This is the new commandment; in this way, we anticipate heaven on earth and reveal to all that fraternity and peace are our calling.”
The pope concluded by asking Catholics to pray to Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church, “that every Christian community may be a home open to all and attentive to each person.”
After the Regina Coeli, Leo greeted pilgrims from Rome and many countries, including Spain, the United States, Malaysia, and Peru. He also thanked the Meter Association, which for 30 years has worked to defend minors from abuse, support victims, and promote prevention.
“Thank you for your service!” the pope said.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated, combined, and adapted by EWTN News English.
In Syria, icon restoration becomes quiet fight to preserve Christian memory
In the Syrian conscience, April is not limited to World Heritage Day celebrated on April 18. Rather, the month unfolds as a full season of cultural rebirth, stretching from the ancient roots of Akitu to the solemnity of Easter and the feast of St. George, as well as the memory of the massacres of 1915 and Syria’s Independence Day.
Within this time crowded with memory, the restoration of Syrian icons emerges as an act of safeguarding identity. It repairs the fractures of time and restores to sacred figures the radiance of a history that runs deep, declaring that protecting this heritage is not a cultural luxury but a struggle for survival carried out quietly by Syrian hands.
In this context, visual artist and restorer Lia Snayej shared with ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, the path that led her into this delicate field. She said that seeing icons burned, damaged by gunfire, or covered with layers of black residue while participating in an exhibition was a shocking experience. That moment pushed her to explore restoration more deeply, before she later specialized in the field academically through a master’s degree in Russia.
Snayej said restoration brings together history, chemistry, and art, adding that protecting an icon is, at its core, protecting history.
Regarding the restoration process, she emphasized that documentation is the most important step and accompanies every stage of the work. Every detail is recorded in a special file that remains with the icon, almost like its “personal identity card.”
She explained that the work begins with studying the history of the piece and its artistic background before preparing a precise restoration plan. Not every icon, she noted, needs restoration; some require only preservation and measures to stop further deterioration. Each icon has its own condition, making restoration similar to medical treatment, with each case requiring a different diagnosis.
Snayej said the main stages of restoration include stabilizing the paint layer using special materials such as “Japanese paper,” followed by cleaning and sterilization. She described this as a very delicate stage, since a mistake could lead to the loss of color. The process then continues with retouching and the addition of a new protective layer.
Assessing the current state of icons, Snayej said the greatest danger is the lack of attention they receive. Many historic icons, she said, are sold outside Syria for very low prices, while original icons are rarely found in homes, where printed reproductions are more common.
She also criticized the neglect of some churches when it comes to restoring their icons. She recalled an incident in Lebanon, where she found two historic icons stored in poor conditions inside a damp warehouse before she took on their restoration.
Snayej also warned against daily practices that damage icons, such as placing candles directly beneath them or cleaning them with materials not intended for that purpose.
Despite the challenges — including the difficulty of obtaining restoration materials and their high cost — Snayej said she remains committed to this path. Her passion, she explained, sometimes leads her to work free of charge in order to preserve a threatened work of art.
Last month, she participated in an exhibition organized by the Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, where she displayed two historic icons she had restored. One was a Russian icon of St. Nicholas, while the other consisted of four parts depicting the Virgin Mary, with the crucified Jesus at the center.
Snayej said what surprised her most at the event was not the exhibition itself but the level of interest shown by visitors and the number of questions they asked about the history of icons and restoration techniques. For her, this reflected a striking and genuine desire among people to rediscover this heritage.
She concluded by saying that the icon has taught her to respect artistic work and serious research, and that it has transformed her specialization into a personal commitment that goes beyond the limits of a profession.
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.
Race car driver’s gift fuels mobile ministry in Ohio diocese
A cargo van donated to the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, has taken on a new purpose by becoming a mobile outreach ministry delivering food, resources, and the Gospel message to communities in need.
Toward the end of 2025, the diocese received the vehicle from Cody Coughlin, a drag racing and stock car driver from Delaware, Ohio. The race car driver “reverted” to the Catholic faith and entered into full communion with the Church a few years back at St. Paul the Apostle in Westerville, Ohio, and was eager to give back to the community.
“I’m deeply humbled and moved to be able to donate a vehicle to help nourish those in need throughout the Catholic Diocese of Columbus,” Coughlin said in the Catholic Times. “It’s a small way to support a mission that truly changes lives, and I’m grateful to be part of something that helps bring food and hope to families who need it most.”
From there, the diocese worked to come up with a plan on how the van could be properly used.
Deacon Dave Bezuko, director for Catholic Charities in the area and a permanent deacon at Our Lady of Lourdes in Marysville, Ohio, told EWTN News in an interview that they wanted it to be “something that would be useful for the parishes because … we didnʼt want to step on the toes of any of our established diocesan charities and our goal here was twofold: No. 1 letʼs equip parishes with something that they could use to support existing ministries, and [No. 2] take ministry off campus.”
Bezuko shared that it was important that the van also be covered in Catholic imagery so that it “could be like a rolling billboard of Catholicism and a sign of the Churchʼs presence out in the community, a sign of Christ’s presence in the community, a sign of hope.”
The van now features an image of Jesus at the feeding of the 5,000, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the divine mercy image, a portrait of Mother Teresa, and the words from Matthew 25:40: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
The mobile outreach van was then blessed by Bishop Earl Fernandes on March 8 outside of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption in Lancaster, Ohio.
In its first couple months of service, the van has been used for a trip to support Mary’s Mission, which serves the needs of the homeless population, and transported approximately 6,000 food items collected by Fisher Catholic High School in Lancaster and the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption. The van was also used to transport furniture donated through a furniture ministry run by a deacon at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Logan, Ohio.
The diocese also hopes to use the van as an evangelization tool by taking it to the local Fourth of July parade, high school football games, visits to nursing homes, the annual county fair, and more.
“Thereʼs so many different opportunities to be an evangelization tool as well,” Bezuko said.
As for what he hopes the impact on the community will be, Bezuko said: “The hope on the impact of the community is No. 1, again, to share that Christ is present in our communities and not just where we have our churches and our schools and our properties.”
He added: “One of those things that happens at the end of Mass, the deacon says ‘Go forth, the Mass has ended.’ Weʼre sent out into the community to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world and to be his presence and to take that elsewhere. So, this is a literal opportunity to take Christ, to take our Church, to take that love, that compassion on the road and express it.”
The deacon said he hopes this mobile outreach ministry will continue to grow and that one day they will have a “whole fleet of these running around here before too long.”
Answering call to serve the poor: Papal Foundation announces more than $15 million in grants
The Papal Foundation this week announced a record-setting $15 million in grants for its annual distribution of humanitarian aid to support more than 144 projects across 75 countries.
Since its founding, the Papal Foundation has served the Catholic Church with collaboration of laity, clergy, and hierarchy. The United States-based organization is dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the Holy Father for the needs of the Church in developing countries.
The foundation has distributed more than $270 million in grants, scholarships, and humanitarian aid to more than 2,700 projects selected by Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and St. John Paul II.
During his recent papal trip to Africa April 13–23, Pope Leo prayed at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, Algeria, and he visited the restored Church of Notre Dame dʼAfrique. Both sites were restored through the generosity of The Papal Foundation, with investments of $90,000 each from the foundation in 2008.
This year, The Papal Foundation’s board of trustees approved $15 million, including $12,502,765 in current grants and an additional $3 million to be distributed in 2026 to further new projects.
The grants will fund initiatives across the globe including the construction and renovation of Catholic schools, classrooms, monasteries, orphanages, and medical clinics in numerous countries including Tanzania, the Central African Republic, and the Philippines.
“This year’s grants are a powerful testament to what can be accomplished through faithful stewardship and shared mission,” said Ward Fitzgerald, president of The Papal Foundation board of trustees, in a press release announcing the grants.
“Each project represents hope, meeting urgent needs and strengthening the resolve of the Catholic Church community in developing nations,” he said.
In Tanzania, the grant will aid the creation of a dormitory to rescue girls from early marriage, trafficking, and sexual abuse, and boys from school dropout. In India, a safe school for marginalized tribal children will be built.
The grants will fund the creation of a library and technology center in the Central African Republic and professional IT training for vulnerable women in the Philippines. Also, in the Republic of Guinea, a well and water tower will be built for the community.
“Supporting these life-changing grants is the core of the mission of The Papal Foundation,” Fitzgerald said. “The impact we have on the poor and most vulnerable is the organization’s gift to the Church and the Catholic Church’s gift to its people around the world.”
Requests for the grants come in from developing nations after local bishops identify the most urgent needs. They are then advanced by apostolic nuncios to the foundation’s grants committee.
The requests are then reviewed through the assessor’s office at the Vatican, led by its current assessor for general affairs of the secretariat Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo.
Members of the foundation’s grants committee met with Ekpo this week to review proposals and begin building a working relationship.
“It was encouraging to meet Monsignor Ekpo at the start of his tenure and to hear his focus on expanding impact while strengthening efficiency and accountability,” Fitzgerald told EWTN News.
“Those are principles we take seriously. Our goal is to be the most highly disciplined and transparent steward of funds, and the most effective means to get resources to the most in need.”
Fitzgerald noted Ekpo’s work in Nigeria and in Australia, which he said has proven to be strength allowing him to bring "a clear understanding of the realities facing developing countries, along with firsthand experience in more advanced economies.”
“That perspective allows us to evaluate requests more effectively and align our resources with the priorities identified by the Holy Father,” Fitzgerald said.
Growing engagement
The Holy Father met with members of the Papal Foundation in an audience at the Vatican on May 2, where he said he was “deeply grateful” for the work of the foundation “to assist the Successor of Peter in his mission to care for the needs of the universal Church.”
“Your generosity has allowed countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities,” the pope said.
He pointed out that the charity workers “will probably never meet everyone who has benefitted from your kindness, so in their name I express heartfelt appreciation.”
The 2026 grants are the result of an evaluation process led by the foundation’s grants committee, chaired by Dr. Tammy Tenaglia of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, with assistance from the foundation’s mission fund committee.
The work of The Papal Foundation has been accomplished with the help of the foundation’s Stewards of Saint Peter, which is made up of North American Catholic philanthropists committed to bringing the love of Christ to those most in need.
Since Pope Leo’s election, the community of Stewards of Saint Peter has welcomed 25 new families committed to supporting the Holy Father’s mission to serve the poor.
“The growth we’re seeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reflects a shared commitment to serve, to give, and to bring the Church’s mission to life in meaningful ways across the globe,” said David Savage, executive director of The Papal Foundation.
The foundation’s annual pilgrimage to Rome the week of April 27 brought together 56 of the Steward families. Led by The Papal Foundation’s chairman, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the trip included a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica and an audience with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, May 2.
Israel arrests man suspected of assault against French nun in Jerusalem
Israeli authorities have arrested a man suspected in an attack on Tuesday against a French nun in Jerusalem.
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“Immediately following the incident, the Israel Police opened an investigation, and the suspect was arrested last night,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in an X post on Wednesday, condemning the attack that has circulated online and extending “sincere sympathies” to the nun who was attacked.
“He remains in custody, underscoring Israel’s firm policy against violence and its determination to bring offenders to justice swiftly,” the post said.
Bishops of England and Wales elect new president
Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster in London will serve as the next president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
“It’s a real privilege to be in this position and I really pray that, with my brother bishops, I’ll be able to serve the Catholic Church in England and Wales,” Moth said in a press release Friday. “We look at the challenges in the world around us and that very often shapes our priorities. But it’s not just about being reactive, it’s about having a real consciousness that the Gospel message is an eternal message, the fact of God’s love for us all. That’s something that’s unchanging, and it’s about bringing that message into the world.”
Moth succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who has served as president since April 2009.
Polish TikToker surpasses Guinness World Record for charity livestreaming
A 23-year-old Polish TikTok influencer, Patryk “Łatwogang” Garkowski, has landed in the Guinness World Records for the longest charitable livestream, which he ended on Sunday, April 26, at 21:37, the time of Pope John Paul IIʼs death on April 2, 2005.
The nine-day livestream raised over 251 million zlotys (around $63 million) for a children’s cancer charity, according to a report Monday from EWTN News Poland, which noted the symbolic ending of the livestream and was “a moving testimony of unity, solidarity, and hope.”
Kuwait cathedral hosts interchurch prayer for peace
Holy Family Cathedral in Kuwait hosted an interchurch prayer gathering for peace in Kuwait and the wider Middle East, bringing together Church leaders, diplomats, Christian and Muslim worshippers, and members of several national communities, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Wednesday.
Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia, led the prayer in the presence of Archbishop Eugene Nugent, the apostolic nuncio. In his remarks, Berardi urged those present not merely to speak about peace but to become active peacemakers, choosing dialogue amid division and hope amid despair.
The gathering concluded with representatives of different churches lighting candles and offering prayers in several languages for the safety and peace of Kuwait, known locally as “Dira al-Khair.”
South Sudan bishop mourns 14 killed in plane crash, calls for aviation safety
Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio has expressed deep sorrow following a tragic April 27 plane crash along the Yei-Juba route in South Sudan, claiming the lives of all 14 people on board.
“We stand in prayer and solidarity with the bereaved families, the government of South Sudan, the aviation company, and the entire nation during this painful moment,” Kussala said according to a report from ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Tuesday.
“To the families, may God console your hearts and grant eternal rest to the departed. To the nation, may this tragedy renew our commitment to protecting human life,” he said. “We strongly appeal for serious scrutiny, strict safety measures, and accountability to prevent such loss in the future, especially as air travel remains a vital means in our context.”
Egypt moves toward advancing historic Christian personal status law
Egypt is moving closer to approving what could become the first unified personal status law for Christians, after the Council of Ministers approved a draft bill and prepared to send it to Parliament, ACI MENA reported Tuesday.
The measure, decades in the making, reflects Article 3 of Egypt’s constitution, which recognizes the principles of Christian and Jewish religious laws as the main source for their personal status matters.
The draft personal status law for Christians is the result of consensus among six Egyptian churches and would address engagement, marriage, divorce or annulment, custody, visitation, inheritance, and family dispute settlement.
For the Catholic Church in Egypt, spokesman Bishop Hani Nassif Wasef Bakhoum Kiroulos said the Church helped shape the text while preserving its doctrinal autonomy, especially on marriage impediments, annulment, consent, and the form of celebration.
Nigerian archdiocese announces prayers of reparation after chapel vandalized
The Archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria, has directed a week of prayer in reparation following the desecration of a chapel in the archdiocese by unknown assailants.
The archdiocese announced with “great sadness” in an April 30 statement the desecration of the adoration chapel of St. Mulumba Parish and renewed calls for stricter adherence to Eucharistic norms, ACI Africa reported Thursday.
The statement comes after an unknown assailant broke into the adoration chapel of the parish and stole the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. Describing the act as a grave irreverence, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji directed that all parishioners of St. Mulumba Parish observe a week of prayer in reparation.
Hundreds of Catholic schools in England to join ‘academies’
The Archdiocese of Liverpool in England has announced that all of its Catholic schools will be asked to join three Catholic Multi Academy Trusts as part of its plan “A Family in Christ: Our Future Together,” which aims to “secure and enhance” education in the archdiocese.
“The proposal to build the academy framework is a means of protecting our schools for the future to ensure that we can continue to offer excellent Catholic education to the future generations,” Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool said in a statement Thursday.
The archdiocese has a network of nearly 230 schools, according to its website. Schools belonging to religious orders may decide whether to join academies.
“I believe we are better together, working together to serve the mission, having greater support for staff and keeping control of our educational system for the future generations of Catholic children and others,” Sherrington said.
Toronto Catholic conference to explore breakdown of the social covenant
The national organization in Canada Catholic Conscience is launching a new annual conference, “Building a Culture of Life and Dignity,” with its inaugural 2026 gathering set to tackle one of the deepest problems in contemporary society: the breakdown of our shared social covenant and the erosion of human dignity from conception to natural death.
The 2026 conference, “Restoring the Covenant: Catholic Social Teaching as Common Social Ground,” will take place on Saturday, May 30, at De La Salle Oaklands College in Toronto.
The gathering is rooted in Catholic social doctrine and inspired by Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, in which he says: “Since the end of society is to make people better, the chief good that society can possess is virtue,” said Matthew Marquardt, executive director of Catholic Conscience.
Open to Catholics and all people of goodwill, the aim is to offer Catholic social teaching as a roadmap for renewing public life, Marquardt said.
The conference is meant to be a place where young professionals, potential volunteers, and benefactors can begin to match their skills and resources to the Church’s most pressing projects.
The day will combine liturgy and prayer with plenary talks and themed breakout sessions, all framed by Catholic social teaching’s vision of human dignity and the common good.
Speakers include Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon; Peter Copeland of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Tucker Sigourney, a John and Daria Barry postdoctoral fellow at Harvard; Moira McQueen, a prominent lawyer and consultant in moral theology who until recently served as executive director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; and Kathleen Muggeridge of Young Professional Catholics of Toronto and the Office of Social Action of the Archdiocese of Montreal.
In an education session, Catholic Register publisher Peter Stockland will host a discussion examining the influence of news and media in shaping social values.
In a world marked by radical individualism, moral relativism, and what organizers describe as “a culture indifferent to the dignity of life,” the conference proposes Catholic social teaching as a unifying framework for rebuilding the bonds that make us a true covenant people.
For example, Catholic social teaching offers a Catholic lens for evaluating and interpreting governmental wellness indexes, such as the Quality of Life Framework recently adopted by the government of Canada.
“Our social covenant is broken and needs to be restored, said Marquardt, who is also president of Canadian Catholic News. “And the responsibility for doing that is on every one of us. We belong to one another and each have a role to play in society.”
The conference grew out of months of discussions about the fragile state of Catholic apostolates in Canada and the surprising appetite among young Catholics for serious engagement, he said.
“If you go to church in Toronto since the pandemic, attendance is up a lot,” Marquardt said. “The difference is a lot of young people who are very ardent. They say they want things to do.”
Organizers say the event is intended to:
- Advance civic conversation on restoring a shared social covenant grounded in common principles and values, as an alternative to the social currents pulling people away from God and one another.
- Bring together Canadian Catholic social and civic initiatives — along with other groups of goodwill — to increase awareness and promote cooperation among them.
- Promote volunteer, employment, and fundraising opportunities for these initiatives, helping them find the skills and support they need to survive and grow.
The vision goes beyond theory. In recent years, small Catholic organizations such as Catholic Insight, Catholic Conscience, and Canadian Catholic News have struggled with increasingly complex regulatory demands, especially those affecting interactions with agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency, and the practical burden of running lean operations with minimal staff.
This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.