Kermit Gosnell, ‘America’s biggest serial killer,’ dies in prison
Abortionist and convicted serial killer Kermit Gosnell, believed to have murdered thousands of infants and convicted of involuntary manslaughter of a woman, died in prison at 85.
Gosnell died two weeks ago of unknown causes, but his death went unreported until March 23, when Irish husband‑and‑wife documentary filmmaking team Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney reported it.
For 30 years, Gosnell operated out of an abortion clinic with conditions so disturbing it was nicknamed the “house of horrors” after law enforcement raided the clinic that had gone unchecked.
Gosnell hoarded baby body parts in the abortion facility in Philadelphia, where law enforcement found blood-stained rooms, rusting and unsanitary medical equipment, flea-infested cats and cat feces, as well as severed feet of unborn babies preserved in specimen jars and body parts in the freezer next to staff lunches.
Convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder of three infants, Gosnell was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without parole, among other concurrent sentences. Gosnell would “snip” the spinal cords of the children born alive during illegal late-term abortions after inducing labor in pregnant women, according to employee testimony. Former clinic staff testified that this occurred hundreds of times.
Gosnell was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of Karnamaya Mongar, a 41-year-old refugee from Bhutan, who died of a lethal overdose of anesthesia administered by unlicensed staff in 2009.
Gosnell earned an estimated $1.8 million per year.
The Department of Health in Pennsylvania did not intervene in spite of the death of two women, injuries of many more, and years of complaints from staff and patients. Two high-ranking health department officials were fired after the clinic was exposed. The crimes were uncovered when Detective Jim Wood led a raid, along with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration, of the clinic on Feb. 18, 2010.
A 2018 film about Gosnell’s trial named him “America’s biggest serial killer.”
“May God have mercy on his soul but his soul was filled with evil so there may be no mercy for him, like there was no mercy for the babies,” said Wood, the detective who brought Gosnell to justice.
Maria V. Gallagher, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation of National Right to Life, said: “We continue to grieve the loss of the babies and women who fell victim to Gosnell’s violent crime spree. And we hold out hope that the lessons learned from Gosnell’s reign of terror will not be forgotten."
“Tragically, public officials allowed his House of Horrors abortion facility to operate for years without being inspected,” Gallagher said. “As the grand jury stated, hair and nail salons received greater scrutiny than Gosnell’s catastrophic abortion center.”
“We at Students for Life pray that he repented before dying,” said a statement from Students for Life of America. “His operation was profit-driven, dangerous, and even led to the death of a mother.”
Molotov cocktail thrown at participants at March for Life in Lisbon, Portugal
A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, March 21, for throwing an incendiary device at participants at the March for Life in front of the country’s Parliament building in Lisbon, Portugal.
According to the police, at the time of the attack “the demonstration comprised approximately 500 participants,” including families with young children and babies. The man approached the scene and “hurled an improvised incendiary device — a ‘Molotov cocktail’ containing gasoline — in the direction of the people present; the device struck the ground but failed to ignite, thereby averting potentially more serious consequences.”
The suspect was apprehended and arrested at the scene. The police stated that other “individuals who were allegedly part of a group with anarchist leanings” fled, but three members were subsequently identified.
The authorities also seized the device, “consisting of a glass bottle containing flammable liquid and textile material — as well as other items of evidentiary value.”
Commenting on the case, Portugal’s minister of internal administration, Luís Neves, said on social media: “We do not tolerate any form of violent extremism, and we will continue to act firmly to prevent and combat it, safeguarding democratic values.”
Act of terrorism
The Portuguese Federation for Life, which organized the March for Life, issued a statement on March 23 classifying Saturday’s incident as a “terrorist attack.”
In recounting the event, the federation emphasized that while the incendiary device did not ignite, “the fuel used in the device” splashed on “several people, including two babies.”
“Had the ignition not failed, we would be talking today about the deaths of children and infants,” the federation stated. However, the group emphasized that “the failure of the attack cannot obscure the fact that a political organization planned and sought to carry out an attack using an incendiary device against a public event packed with families, youths, and children.”
The Portuguese Federation for Life urged “that this attack be treated by the authorities as the act of terrorism that it is.” The group also requested that if any link between the attackers and a political organization is established, that organization should “be declared a terrorist organization, as provided for in the counterterrorism law.”
Furthermore, the federation called upon “all those who, especially in the exercise of public office, have in recent years employed a tone of hatred against the pro-life movement, accusing us of countless evils, to search their consciences and understand the consequences of their rhetoric.”
The federation announced that it will request a meeting with the minister of internal administration and the prosecutor general of the republic to address the incident and that, “at the appropriate moment,” it will “join as an amicus curiae [friend of the court] in the ensuing judicial proceedings.”
Gravely unacceptable incident
The patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, condemned the attack against the March for Life.
“Such events are gravely unacceptable,” Sousa Valério said. He emphasized that “violence is never the way,” that it “harms human dignity and does not serve the truth.”
“And it becomes even more painful when it threatens the most vulnerable, especially children, who should always be a sign of hope and never exposed to fear,” he pointed out.
The patriarch expressed “his closeness to all those who participated in this initiative and, in particular, to the families and children who may have felt fear and insecurity.”
“The Church is close to everyone; it accompanies and prays for each person. No incidence of violence can erase the good accomplished, the witness given, and the hope sown,” he said.
The March for Life
The March for Life took place in 12 Portuguese cities on Saturday. In addition to Lisbon, demonstrators took to the streets to take a stand against abortion and euthanasia in Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Coimbra, Faro, Guarda, Lamego, Porto, Setúbal, and Viseu.
This year, the March for Life adopted the theme “The Pro-Life People Take to the Streets” and aimed to be a march “for the dignity of all human beings, for life from the moment of conception until natural death, and for families.”
Abortion was legalized in Portugal in 2007 after a national referendum.
Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the participants of the March for Life, stating that “the family is, by divine design, the natural guardian of life” and therefore, it is necessary “to ensure that it does not lack the conditions required to welcome nascent life and to care, with renewed commitment, for that which is in decline (ailing or elderly persons).”
“May public resources sustain Portuguese families, specifically supporting women who are about to become mothers and fostering the implementation of authentic policies of solidarity that draw citizens closer to the most needy, the marginalized, the lonely, and migrants in whom the face of Christ shines,” the pope said.
Of the culture of death, Leo said that “mere declarations of good intentions, and least of all, illusory forms of compassion such as euthanasia and, ultimately, abortion, do not serve the development of our societies.”
In his view, “ideas and words that inspire actions and gestures that raise up human dignity are indispensable, a goal to which friendship with Christ, fostered through the prayerful reading of the Gospel within the family, contributes immensely.”
The pope also encouraged newlyweds to “welcome God’s love and allow it to bear fruit, thereby mirroring the joy of marriage and parenthood.”
This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bishops urge action on bill to examine Indian boarding school policies
Four bishops have written to Congress urging them to investigate the federal Indian boarding school system.
Archbishop Shelton Fabre of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, with Bishops John Folda of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota; Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York; and Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, sent a letter to lawmakers in support of a bill (HR 7325) that would establish a commission to investigate, document, and report on the history and lasting impacts of Indian boarding schools.
Christian missionaries sought to educate Native American children to initiate them into the Christian faith through catechesis and spiritual formation, but the schools, which were overseen by the federal government in the mid-19th century, involved many hardships for Native American populations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has acknowledged the Church’s involvement in this history.
“The forced removal of children from their tribal lands and communities as part of federal boarding school policies was a moral failure that disregarded the unique culture and dignity of Indigenous peoples,” the four bishops wrote to bill sponsor Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas. “Accounts from this era illustrate lasting trauma among those who were involuntarily brought to these schools. The pain from the Native American boarding school era continues to echo today.”
The four bishops addressed the same letter to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
Sponsored by Murkowski, the Senate’s identical version of the bill (SB 761) would create a commission to investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies and develop ways to protect unmarked graves and accompanying land protections. The bill also would support repatriation and identify the tribal nations from which children were taken and put an end to the removal of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families and tribal communities by state social service departments, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.
The bishops urged creation of a Truth and Healing Commission to acknowledge the moral failures that harmed Indigenous children and communities and promote accountability. Under the bill, the commission would work toward reconciliation through a cooperative process involving government and religious institutions.
No hearings have been set on the legislation in the House or Senate.
The bishops’ letter said “the Catholic Church in the United States remains committed to transparency, to listening, and to humility. We remain dedicated to working with Native communities, government actors, and other religious traditions in efforts to bring about authentic healing and reconciliation. As one means of promoting this, we urge the House to favorably advance this legislation.”
Fabre serves as chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Folda is chair of the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs; Brennan is chair of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church; and Knestout is chair of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.
Before becoming bishop, Pope Leo kept an all-night vigil with this saint
The day before he became the bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, Pope Leo XIV spent the night in prayer — but not in the diocese’s main cathedral.
Instead, the American missionary traveled 30 miles outside the city to the dusty, half-forgotten town of Zaña.
The purpose of his visit wasn’t just to get some solitude before his busy ministry began. It was also to keep vigil with a beloved Peruvian saint.
On that day in December 2014, the future pope prayed before a relic of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, the 16th-century archbishop of Lima who is known today as “the Apostle of Peru.” The local parish in Zaña is named for St. Turibius and keeps a large leg fragment of the saint in a small chapel.
As Father David Farfán, a friend of Pope Leo’s and now the pastor of the local parish, told EWTN News, the soon-to-be bishop even asked to borrow pajamas so he could spend the entire night in prayer before the saint.
“He was so happy for that,” Farfán said. “And the following day, he officially took office as bishop in Chiclayo.”
A special connection
Why did Pope Leo have such a strong devotion to the Peruvian saint?
Because, in many ways, he was following in his footsteps.
Like Pope Leo, St. Turibius was sent to Peru as a missionary. Born in 1538 in Spain, Turibius wasn’t even a priest before becoming a Peruvian bishop — he was a lay canon lawyer.
But in 1579, King Philip II nominated the Spaniard to serve as the second archbishop of Lima. It was a vital assignment, given the centrality of Peru to the Spanish empire’s presence in the New World, and Turibius was selected for both his integrity and administrative abilities.
Pope Gregory XIII approved, and in 1580, Turibius was ordained to the priesthood, consecrated to the episcopate, and sent to Peru. He arrived in 1581 and spent the next 26 years leading what was then the largest archdiocese in all of South America.
St. Turibius’ time in Peru was marked by his profound love for the Indigenous people, who had suffered harsh treatment under Spanish rule. He translated the catechism into native languages like Quechua, founded the first seminary in the New World and opened it to local men, and protected the rights of Indigenous Peruvians from Spanish government officials. The saint even made three separate pastoral journeys across his massive archdiocese — a territory that spanned roughly 180,000 square miles — traveling mostly on foot.
Farfán said he sees several similarities between the Peruvian saint and how Pope Leo led as bishop of Chiclayo.
“Both of them were foreigners,” he said. “And the kind of approach you have when you are a foreigner … is not imposing things, but understanding, listening, and having a wide-open way of allowing people to tell what they feel.”
Marian spirituality, a focus on community, and attentiveness to social problems are other traits that Farfán said he believes the two figures have in common. For instance, he highlighted Pope Leo’s concern over the way mining companies impacted the local community in Chiclayo, an issue that is now being taken up in the Vatican.
And even though he is no longer in Peru, Pope Leo’s devotion to St. Turibius is alive and well.
When the Peruvian bishops came to Rome in January for their ad limina visit, Pope Leo told them it was “providential” they were visiting during the 300th anniversary of St. Turibius’ canonization. He held up the Peruvian saint as a model of evangelistic zeal and fidelity to God’s will.
And, quoting from documents from St. Turibius’ canonization in 1726, Pope Leo told the Peruvian bishops that they should be close to their people, so that what was said about the saint could be said of them: that he felt “so much love for everyone, that he held them in his heart as if he were the father of each one.”
The bishops left Pope Leo with a gift: a tondo depicting the saints of Peru, including St. Rose of Lima and the archbishop who confirmed her, St. Turibius.
The story of Zaña
During his nearly 10 years as bishop in Chiclayo, Pope Leo returned often to Zaña, including for a special Turibius-related celebration. Although St. Turibius’ feast day is March 23, he is also celebrated in Peru on April 27, the date that marks the transfer of the saint’s body to Lima.
And Zaña doesn’t just house a relic of the Apostle of Peru — it was also a pivotal place in St. Turibius’ ministry. In fact, although his final resting place is in the capital city’s cathedral, he actually died in Zaña in 1606 — an important reminder of how pivotal the now-provincial town was in the Church’s early missionary activity in Peru.
According to Alfredo Pérez Samamé, a local historian, St. Turibius made Zaña his initial base of operations, drawing 14 different religious orders to the valley, including Dominicans, Jesuits, and Pope Leo’s own Augustinians.
“According to history, the town once had 18,000 inhabitants — a city that was 100% religious,” Pérez said.
At one point, Zaña was even known as the “Seville of Peru.” However, a series of disasters, including pirate attacks, floods, and earthquakes, destroyed much of it, turning the older parts of Zaña into little more than a ghost town.
A papal homecoming?
However, with Pope Leo expected to make a Peruvian homecoming later in 2026, there is hope that he will make another pilgrimage to Zaña.
The regional government has even started designs for a visitor center and event venue at the original tomb of St. Turibius to not only accommodate a papal visit but also provide a hub for pilgrimage activity going forward.
Locals like Pérez are excited about the potential impact of a papal visit.
“God willing, if the pope visits Peru again and comes to our region of Lambayeque, it would bring significant development,” he told EWTN News. “Tourism would greatly increase due to the town’s religious importance, something that is already happening in Zaña.”
And if Pope Leo does return, he’s likely to stop by the small chapel in the local parish to see his old friend, St. Turibius — a local saint whom Peruvians believe continues to inspire their former bishop, now pope in Rome.
“He already is following his steps,” Farfán said. “And I believe and I pray to Toribio [to show] what he needs to do more for our Church. Because still we have a long, long way to continue offering Jesus Christ to the people.”
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Belgian bishop plans to ordain married men by 2028, violating Church canon law
A Catholic bishop in Belgium wrote an 11-page pastoral letter that included a plan to ordain married men into the priesthood by 2028, even though such actions would violate the Code of Canon Law.
Bishop Johan Bonny, head of the Diocese of Antwerp since 2009, noted that the topic of ordaining married men was discussed in the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality (2023-2024). Although the topic was openly discussed, neither the late Pope Francis nor the authors of the final document authorized the ordination of married men or recommended any future changes to canon law to authorize it.
Despite this, Bonny wrote in the pastoral letter that in every synodal discussion “the question arises of ordaining married men … for the priesthood.” He claimed “the consensus on this question is almost total … especially among the most faithful and devout” and “has existed for many years.”
“The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests but when it will do so, and who will do it,” the bishop said. “Any delay comes across as an excuse.”
Contrary to the asserted consensus, Canon 1042 prohibits the ordination of married men in the Latin rite under most normal circumstances. It states clearly that the only holy orders “a man who has a wife” is eligible for is the permanent diaconate — not the priesthood. A married man can enter the permanent diaconate with the consent of his wife if he is at least 35 years old, but a permanent deacon who is a widower cannot remarry.
The rule is not completely universal in the Catholic Church. The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches permits the ordination of married men in Eastern-rite Catholic Churches, which have long practiced it.
There are also limited exceptions in the Latin rite. A married Anglican priest who converts to Catholicism is allowed to be ordained as a Catholic priest and remain married. The Church makes some limited exceptions for other Protestant ministers who are married and also wish to convert to Catholicism and be ordained into the priesthood.
However, apart from rare exceptions, married men are not permitted to be ordained into the priesthood in the Latin rite.
Bonny does not address the relevant canons in his letter. He also did not cite any approval from the Vatican or reveal any insight about a potential change in canon law.
The bishop did not state that he will first seek approval before the ordinations, but he did say he would ensure “the necessary communication and arrangements” with the Vatican and Belgian Bishops’ Conference, “as we can learn from each other’s experiences and insights.”
“I will make every effort to ordain married men as priests for our diocese by 2028,” he said. “I will approach them personally and ensure that by then they have the necessary theological training and pastoral experience, comparable to that of other priest candidates. This preparation will be transparent but discreet, away from the media spotlight.”
“For many a bishop, the ordination of married men has become a matter of conscience,” he wrote. “At that level, too, transparency, accountability, and evaluation are important for the credibility of the Church.”
Bonny makes several cases for why he intends to ordain married men, such as the “historical shortage of local priests in many dioceses.” He said many foreign-born priests fill the gap now, but “it would not be fair to place the burden of our shortages on their shoulders.”
He noted that the Church in Belgium already works “with a number of married Catholic priests,” citing the Eastern-rite Catholic priests and converts who fell under the limited exceptions.
Bonny also said “there is a cluster of experiences related to the psychosocial health of priests and the transparency of their lifestyle.” He said “the issue of sexual abuse continues to weigh heavily” and “clerical subcultures and lifestyles have had their day.”
“The fact that almost no domestic candidates are coming forward for ordination seems to me undoubtedly related to the absence of synodal discernment in classical vocation ministry,” the bishop continued. “When I visit parishes or pastoral unities, I regularly meet people whom the community would consider to be a good priest. Just as I myself know several co-workers who would be well suited as candidates for ordination.”
Tom Nash, a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, told EWTN News that he hopes Bonny “is docile to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.”
“It is the pope alone, the successor of St. Peter, who has God-given primacy in definitively teaching on faith and morals, and also the divinely given primacy of authority in binding and loosing on matters of discipline, and thus one must be very wary of going forward in a manner that would gravely violate that divinely ordained papal primacy of governance,” he said.
Nash explained that married men can be validly ordained to the priesthood, as one can see in the Eastern rite and the rare exceptions in the Latin rite. However, without approval from the pope and a change to canon law, such ordinations would be “illicit” under the circumstances discussed by the bishop in the pastoral letter.
If Bonny ordained married men to the priesthood, Nash said the situation would be similar to the Society of St. Pius X, which illicitly consecrated bishops in 1988 and are threatening to do so again. Such consecrations, he explained, were “valid but illicit.”
A priest who is ordained validly but illicitly would be a real priest and could validly celebrate Mass, according to Nash. However, such celebrations would be illicit, and in defiance of the Holy See, and sinful, he said. Other priestly faculties, however, may not be valid, he said.
“Just because such ordained priests could validly but illicitly celebrate Mass, they would need delegated priestly faculties from the pope to validly absolve sins in the confessional and also to receive the consent of the parties during the Church’s marriage rite, lest they marry each other invalidly,” Nash said.
“It’ll be interesting to see how this matter develops in the coming two years, and I pray that Bishop Bonny is docile to the Holy Father,” he added.
David Long, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America and a canonist, told EWTN News that the question of ordaining married men “does not lie within the authority of a diocesan bishop acting on his own.”
“Any current change in practice in a Latin diocese would require action by the Holy See and could not be accomplished by a unilateral decision by a diocesan bishop, no matter how pastorally urgent the circumstances may be,” he said.
Irish immigrant who built the White House celebrated in Washington, DC
In 1792, a young architect from Kilkenny, Ireland, began what would become one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Centuries later, James Hoban, who designed and oversaw the building of the White House, is now being remembered alongside other Irish Americans who made significant contributions to American history.
At a reception on March 20 at the newly opened Irish embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S., Geraldine Byrne Nason, highlighted Hoban’s life, saying he is among those Irish Americans who have left their “Irish fingerprints” on American’s founding.
“Irish immigrants helped to shape the very ideas at the heart of this great country,” Nason told approximately 200 guests, pointing out that 23 American presidents are of Irish heritage.
According to historian Matthew Costello with the White House Historical Association, Hoban relied on other Irish immigrants, as well as enslaved laborers, to bring his vision — based on Leinster House in Dublin — to life in 1800.
John Adams would be the first president to move into the White House, but the British sent Hoban’s work up in flames, burning the mansion down during the War of 1812.
Costello told EWTN News that Hoban would return to rebuild the White House, using the same Irish brethren as his stalwarts. His camaraderie with Irish immigrants was fostered not only by their shared origins but also by their Catholic faith during a time when Catholics were viewed with great suspicion — and often hostility. Many state constitutions forbade Catholics from holding public office.
Although the Jesuits brought Catholicism to America before the Revolution and founded Georgetown University in what was then Georgetown, Maryland, Hoban is celebrated as a founding father of the Irish Catholic community in the Federal City, which he nurtured and built like one of his renowned buildings.
In 1794, in anticipation of more Irish immigrants arriving in Washington, D.C., Hoban — along with fellow immigrant Father Anthony Caffry from County Mayo — started building St. Patrick’s Church, which is today the oldest Catholic parish in Washington, D.C.
Like the White House, the church was damaged by fire by British invaders but continues in its current iteration in the heart of the capital. Pope Francis visited the church in 2015.
By the time of Hoban’s death in 1831, Irish Catholics had made great progress in American society. The heralded architect would go on to serve as a captain in the Washington militia and on the city council. He is credited with the Octagon House in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, various public buildings and city projects, and became superintendent of the construction of the U.S. Capitol.
Hoban’s personal papers were burned in a fire after his death, which has obscured historians from discovering more about the man. Nevertheless, every year, the White House Historical Association gathers at Hoban’s grave at Mount Olivet Cemetery to keep his memory alive.
At this year’s ceremony on March 20, Hoban’s contributions were honored in view of America’s 250th commemoration. Monsignor Veceslav Tumir, first counselor from the apostolic nunciature, was there to salute Hoban’s ongoing connection to the Catholic community.
After a wreath placement ceremony at the cemetery hosted by the White House Historical Association and featuring Mark Carney of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, guests of the Irish ambassador gathered at the embassy, where Nason praised Hoban and other Irish patriots for their impressive contributions to historic architectural buildings as well as for lending their “Irishness” to the ideals of a young nation.
The embassy has brought together many examples of these contributions in a new exhibit called “The Emerald Thread,” which depicts how Ireland’s diaspora has been woven into American history. The artifacts are on display in a room overlooking the city and will will run through the America 250 celebrations this summer.
A large portrait of Hoban — a gift to the ambassador from the White House Historical Association — is among the exhibition’s many treasures.
Among other Irish-American heroes being highlighted by the embassy in the exhibit is Stephen Moylan of Cork, an Irish Catholic who became part of George Washington’s inner circle and served as his aide-de-camp during the Siege of Boston.
New attacks by Israeli settlers on last entirely Christian village in West Bank
The Latin parish priest of the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank appealed for the solidarity of Christians worldwide in the face of new attacks by “fanatical Israeli settlers” seeking to displace the local population.
Father Bashar Fawadleh issued an appeal on Saturday, March 21, telling ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the lands seized this week by Israeli settlers “belonged to the people of Taybeh and were, moreover, our private property.”
These incursions, he continued, in addition to constituting “a violation of international law and of the rights of the local community,” represent an affront that, for the village’s inhabitants, goes far beyond a mere legal or political matter.
“This story is about the life of a Christian community that has been present in this land for more than 2,000 years,” Fawadleh said.
Taybeh is the modern name of the biblical village of Ephraim, where Jesus went to rest shortly before his passion (cf. John 11:54). In addition to being the only entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, it is also renowned for its beer.
In recent days, Israeli settlers have seized areas near the village’s quarry and cement factory. These encroachments have been ongoing for some time. In July 2025, settlers set fire in the area near the ruins of St. George Church, built in the historic Byzantine style and dating back to the fifth century, where the local community typically holds religious celebrations.
Several vehicles were also set ablaze, and the attackers “painted hateful graffiti,” according to sources in Taybeh. Christian leaders have demanded immediate action from Israeli authorities and called upon the international community to halt the escalating violence.
When asked what message he would like to send to Pope Leo XIV and to all Christians around the world, he said: “We ask not only for compassion, but for solidarity.”
Fawadleh, whose mother was born in Venezuela but returned to the West Bank at the age of 16, told ACI Prensa: “As a church, our mission is to help people remain in their land, to live with dignity, and to keep the Christian presence alive in the Holy Land. Our presence here is a living testament to the roots of Christianity — where it all began.”
According to the parish priest, “when the land is threatened, people become fearful.” The local community simply wants “to live in peace, with dignity, and on our own land,” he said, noting that the farmers of Taybeh are even afraid to go out to their fields.
“This is a matter that concerns the entire Church. We ask for your prayers, and for your visits to the Holy Land and to the ‘living stones’ in Taybeh and throughout the Holy Land,” he said.
“And your support, so that Christians may remain here through education, housing, and employment opportunities. For the Christian presence in the Holy Land is not merely a local matter,” he pointed out.
“For the truth is one; it is not a matter of distorting it. Thank you; we will remain in contact and united in prayer,” the priest said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV reunites with his eighth grade classmates
On the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Leo XIV met last week with some of his eighth grade classmates from St. Mary of the Assumption lower school in south Chicago, where he grew up.
Of the 82 eighth graders with whom he attended St. Mary’s in 1969, 10 greeted him after the general audience on March 18, exchanging laughs, gifts, and warm handshakes.
During the meeting, his former classmates gave him a photograph of the class of 1969, which he held up as he posed for another group shot more than 50 years later.
Jerome Clemens pointed out the young Robert Prevost standing among his classmates to the L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper: “Here he is, our friend, the pope,” showing the back of the photo with Prevost’s old autograph and his new one, which he signed, “Leo XIV.”
Another former classmate, Sherry Stone (née Blue), dropped a sign she held that read “God bless you Pope Leo” when the pope approached her.
“Sorry! I’m nervous!” she said, laughing, as he shook her hand.
Instagram post
Last spring, Stone told the Lansing Journal: “When he was in the conclave, I thought, ‘Could it be him? Could Bob be the new pope? No, probably not.’ When I saw that it was him, I was just amazed. I was crying tears of joy.”
“He was a super nice guy, but not nerdy,” she said.
After finishing eighth grade at St. Mary’s, Prevost attended boarding school at St. Augustine Seminary High School in Michigan, graduating in 1973. He then attended another Augustinian school, Villanova University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1977 before entering the Augustinian novitiate that September.
He was ordained a priest in 1982, earning a master of divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago that same year. He earned a licentiate in canon law (JCL) in 1984 and completed a doctorate in canon law (JCD) in 1987, both from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
St. Mary’s church and school on Chicago’s ‘most endangered list’
St. Mary of the Assumption Church and School, where a young Prevost served as an altar boy and his mother, Mildred Prevost, worked as a librarian, was at the center of a vibrant Catholic community in the Riverdale neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side in the 1960s.
The property, which has been vacant since 2011 and is now privately owned, is located just a few blocks from the pope’s childhood home in Dolton, Illinois, but within Chicago city limits.
The neighborhood has seen significant decline since the pope’s childhood. Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago told EWTN News that St. Mary’s, which has a hole in the roof of the church building, broken windows, graffiti, and many other issues, was listed on Preservation Chicago’s 2026 “7 Most Endangered List" as of March 4.
“We at Preservation Chicago are of the opinion that the church and school buildings of St. Mary’s are in need of immediate attention in order to secure temporary repairs, with a long-term goal of a full restoration of the campus of buildings, before everything is lost to deterioration,” Miller said.
The property’s current owner, Joel Hall, said last year he is open to a landmark designation by the city, according to Miller.
Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to preserving historic sites in Chicago and encouraging landmark designations in the city, presented its case to designate it as such at a meeting in May 2025 of the Commission of Chicago Landmarks.
No decision has been made yet regarding the landmark designation, but Preservation Chicago has created an online petition to the city of Chicago to “Save the Pope’s Church!”
“This complex should become a visitors site, an oratory or shrine, as this is our first American pope — a world leader, and from Chicago!” Miller told EWTN News.
“We would very much like to see a partnership form to save these buildings and tell the story of this world leader,” reads an article on Preservation Chicago’s website. “An initial step in this process would be to consider a Chicago landmark designation of the buildings of this campus, with a plan to methodically restore and repurpose each of the buildings.”
Miller told EWTN News he would like to see the property “prepared [in time] for the pope’s return visits to Chicago!”
The pope does not yet have plans to visit the United States.
War forces Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to cancel Palm Sunday procession
Amid the continuing war and restrictions on access to the holy sites, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, announcing “exceptional measures” regarding this year’s Holy Week and Easter celebrations.
The Palm Sunday procession will instead be replaced by a time of prayer for the city in a location yet to be announced.
The patriarchate also announced the postponement of the chrism Mass until circumstances allow — most likely during the Easter season after necessary ecclesiastical approvals are obtained.
At the same time, it affirmed that the churches of the diocese will remain open and that priests and pastors will work, within the limits of what is possible, to ensure the participation of the faithful in prayers and liturgical celebrations.
The patriarchate explained that this year it has not been possible to hold the traditional Lenten pilgrimage in Jerusalem, with its celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the sites associated with Christ’s passion. It noted that, although the faithful have been able to prepare individually, they have felt the absence of the communal journey toward Easter, which is an essential element of the Church’s spiritual life.
Continuing restrictions
The patriarchate said the security conditions linked to the conflict do not suggest any improvement in the near future. It stressed that, in coordination with the other Churches and the relevant authorities, it is continuing to assess possible ways to hold the celebrations within the available framework.
Decisions, it said, will be made on a day-by-day basis according to developments on the ground. According to the statement, it has become clear that it will not be possible to organize normal celebrations open to all the faithful, prompting the patriarchate to adopt a set of organizational measures.
The patriarchate said this reality constitutes “another wound added to the many wounds caused by the conflict.” The pain, it said, is not limited to the consequences of war but also includes the inability to celebrate Easter together “in a fitting way.” Yet it stressed the need not to surrender to despair and called for perseverance in prayer.
In this context, the patriarchate called on the faithful to unite in prayer on Saturday, March 28, by reciting the rosary for peace and reassurance, especially for those suffering because of the conflict. It concluded by affirming that Easter remains, despite every circumstance, a sign of hope, recalling that “no darkness, not even the darkness of war, can have the last word” and that the empty tomb remains a witness to the victory of life over hatred and mercy over sin.
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.
Does the pope vote in Peru or pay U.S. taxes? Key questions remain unsettled
Questions about whether Pope Leo XIV must vote in Peru or pay taxes in the United States remain unresolved, with one canon law expert arguing that the pope’s unique status as a sovereign head of state likely exempts him in practice — even if the legal picture is not entirely settled.
The debate has gained attention following Leo XIV’s election, given that he holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. In Peru, voting is mandatory, with elections scheduled for April 13. In the United States, citizens — including those living abroad — are generally required to file tax returns, including disclosures of foreign income.
The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to questions about whether the pope will vote in Peru or in the United States or file U.S. income tax returns.
According to Professor Antonio G. Chizzoniti, a canon law scholar at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, these questions arise from treating the pope as an ordinary dual citizen — an assumption he argues is incomplete.
“The issue of the pope’s citizenship lies at the intersection of distinct legal systems,” Chizzoniti told ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, referring to canon law, Vatican law, and the laws of the countries from which popes originate. “None of these systems establishes uniform rules,” he said, noting that the pope’s legal status is the result of a “complex layering of norms” that has led to different outcomes in modern history.
Chizzoniti emphasized that canon law does not require a pope to renounce prior citizenship, nor does it forbid retaining it. He described this as an intentional gap, reflecting the Church’s focus on the pope’s spiritual and ecclesial role rather than his civil status.
At the same time, Vatican law grants the pope citizenship of Vatican City automatically upon his election. This “functional citizenship,” tied to office rather than birth or descent, exists alongside any prior nationality, which may still be retained depending on the laws of the country of origin.
As a result, modern popes have typically held multiple citizenships. Historical examples include St. John Paul II retaining Polish citizenship and Pope Francis maintaining Argentine nationality.
In principle, Chizzoniti said, obligations tied to original citizenship — such as taxes or voting — could still apply. However, he argued that the pope’s status as a foreign head of state introduces a decisive complication.
“It will be necessary to verify the applicability of such obligations to a foreign head of state,” he said, pointing to the well-established principle in international law that grants heads of state immunity from the jurisdiction of other countries.
This immunity, he explained, generally covers both official and private acts and prevents enforcement of civil or administrative obligations by foreign states.
For that reason, while the pope’s dual citizenship is not merely theoretical, “there are multiple reasons to consider these obligations not applicable or no longer enforceable” in his case, Chizzoniti said.
Still, his analysis reflects a legal interpretation rather than a definitive resolution. The interaction between citizenship obligations and head-of-state immunity — especially in cases as unique as the papacy — remains a matter of ongoing discussion rather than settled law.
Leo XIV’s situation is particularly notable because he holds three citizenships: U.S. citizenship by birth, Peruvian citizenship acquired in 2015 when he became bishop of Chiclayo, and Vatican citizenship by virtue of his election as pope.
Ultimately, Chizzoniti argues that the pope’s identity as both the Holy See and the sovereign of Vatican City distinguishes him fundamentally from ordinary citizens — even those with dual nationality.
But the broader questions — whether and how civil obligations tied to citizenship apply to a reigning pope — remain open, highlighting the unusual intersection of international law, state sovereignty, and the unique nature of the papal office.
A version of this story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.