Assyrian patriarch calls for stronger cooperation among Eastern Churches
The dream of unity has long inspired the churches that trace their roots to the ancient Church of the East. Efforts to reach that goal continue, while Christians pray that, in God’s time, full unity will one day be realized.
Until then, these sister churches continue to work together in serving the Gospel and caring for their faithful, despite the growing challenges facing Christians in the Middle East, where their shared history began.
As the region goes through another difficult moment, and following the election and installation of a new Chaldean patriarch, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, spoke with Mar Awa III, catholicos-patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, about the historic relationship between the Assyrian and Chaldean churches and the future of Christians in Iraq and across the Middle East.
A new beginning
Mar Awa III described the election of Mar Paul III Nona in Baghdad in late May as the beginning of a new chapter in the modern history of the Chaldean Church after years marked by internal challenges, especially those connected to political issues.
He reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening cooperation between the two sister churches.
“Our churches share the same history, traditions, liturgy, and spiritual heritage,” he said. “We are committed to working closely together for the good of our Assyrian and Chaldean faithful, both in our homelands and throughout the global communities.”
Guided by divine providence
The Assyrian patriarch reflected on what he sees as a meaningful sign of divine providence. The heads of the three churches that descend from the historic Church of the East all bear the title “III” in their patriarchal names.
He said this gives them a special opportunity to deepen cooperation and strengthen coordination among their churches in practical and effective ways.
“In addition to this shared connection that brings us together as brothers in faith and ministry, all three of us have served our churches in the abroad,” he said. “That experience has helped us understand both the needs and the challenges facing our faithful around the world.”
The gift of the Holy Spirit
Asked about practical steps toward the long-desired unity of the Church of the East, Mar Awa III said Christian unity is, above all, a gift from God.
“The unity of the sister churches is first and foremost a gift of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “It is also a living spiritual experience that requires constant prayer, deep reflection, and sincere fraternal cooperation.”
He expressed hope that the three patriarchs would meet soon to discuss pastoral and community cooperation and to develop a roadmap for closer collaboration on shared concerns, both in their homelands and in communities abroad.
“I am confident that our cooperation on the social and political challenges facing our people will help strengthen them in the land of their fathers and preserve our presence and identity,” he said.
Responsible media
Mar Awa III also reflected on the growing power of media and social media in today’s world and their influence on society and the life of the church.
“Freedom of expression is important,” he said, “but it does not mean using that freedom without respect for ethical and human values, whether in religious or secular media.”
He urged media organizations to adopt respectful language that pursues truth and benefits society instead of stirring up pointless disputes or harmful criticism.
He also warned against social media campaigns that target church leaders and clergy with insults, personal attacks, and language that can slide into hatred and defamation.
“Such behavior is not only lacking in accuracy and objectivity,” he said. “It is also far from Christian virtues and moral values.”
Returning to the roots
The patriarch said a new chapter began in the history of the Assyrian Church of the East when its patriarchal see returned to Iraq in 2015 after more than 80 years abroad.
“The return to Erbil brought our Church closer to its deep Eastern roots in Mesopotamia, as one of the oldest apostolic churches in the world,” he said.
Although this has created difficulties in managing communities abroad — where most of the church’s faithful now live — he said the return strengthened their sense of belonging to the church’s traditions and spiritual heritage. It also deepened their connection to their land and historical roots.
Strengthening cooperation
Mar Awa III said the reality facing churches in Iraq and the wider Middle East requires closer cooperation among them, regardless of church affiliation, for the good and future of their faithful.
He stressed that today’s challenges, especially migration, preserving the deposit of faith, and protecting Christian and community identity, require shared attention and cooperation.
He said churches must coordinate more closely to find effective solutions that help preserve the Christian presence in the East and protect its spiritual and historical heritage.
Deep concern over events in Iran
Mar Awa III expressed deep concern over the current war in the region, especially the fate of the church’s faithful in Iran, who are directly affected by it.
He said the outcome remains unclear at this stage.
All churches in the region, he added, are following the consequences of the war with great concern.
“Military conflicts always have serious consequences for small communities, including Middle Eastern Christians,” he said. “Our prayers continue without ceasing that the war end as soon as possible and that dialogue and understanding may silence the sound of weapons.”
Called to support one another
Alongside repeated wars, worsening economic hardships, social instability, and ongoing security challenges have caused painful waves of migration from all churches in the East, especially among young people.
With the renewal of war, Mar Awa III expressed hope that Christians around the world would recognize the suffering of their brothers and sisters in the East and understand the size of the challenges they face.
He encouraged them to support Christians in the region in ways that can help reduce continued migration, especially from Iraq.
He also called on the international community to play its part in addressing the economic and security causes of migration by supporting practical initiatives that help provide the conditions for a dignified life in a safe homeland.
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.
Quantum physics meets Catholic theology at first-of-its-kind gathering
New discoveries in quantum science raise profound questions, but how does this emerging branch of research relate to the Catholic faith? That question is at the heart of a new international gathering of physicists, philosophers, and theologians taking place July 12–15 at Chapman University in Orange, California.
The university will host the inaugural meeting of the “Interface Between Quantum Science and Technology, Philosophy, and Catholic Theology” where topics will include quantum entanglement, quantum indeterminacy, hylomorphism, and electromagnetic radiation — with Catholic theology integrated into most lectures. Daily Mass will also be celebrated. All talks will be recorded and made available afterward.
Organizers include Professor Vincenzo Tamma, founding director of the Quantum Science and Technology Hub at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K., and Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer, director of the Magis Center, host of EWTN’s “Father Spitzerʼs Universe,” and a prolific writer on faith and science. Local organizers include Chapman professors Andrew Jordan and Daniele Struppa, both from Chapman’s Institute for Quantum Studies.
A ‘call’ to bring people across disciplines together
The idea for the gathering was conceived when Tamma first visited Chapman.
“I was in contact with Father Spitzer when Dr. Jordan invited me to visit the Institute of Quantum Studies at Chapman, and then I realized Father Spitzer was based very close,” Tamma told EWTN News. “So we met in person for the first time, and I shared with him my desire — what felt more like a call — to bring together people across disciplines and to build a community … to take away the false understanding that science and faith are in opposition.”
Faith, science, and technology collaborations are hardly new. Besides the work of many Catholic scientists throughout history, thousands of scientists belong today to the Society of Catholic Scientists, which recently held its annual convention at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago. The event at Chapman, however, is the first to focus specifically on quantum science and technology, a field only about a century old — and which some scientists say rips shreds in a purely materialistic worldview.
“At the very beginning of this field, physicists — the fathers of quantum mechanics — like Einstein were very, very interested in philosophy and what we can call ‘the ultimate questions,’” Tamma said in an interview with EWTN News. “We’ve lost, a little bit, that sense of interdisciplinary collaboration. I share in the same desire — and sense of wonder — of many other physicists, to open deeper questions.”
Tamma pointed to St. Augustine’s image of “the book of nature” and “the book of revelation,” two different ways of knowing truth that are fundamentally complementary.
“Together, they can help us understand the truth of reality and why we are here and the purpose of creation,” he said.
The gathering’s 3 goals
Organizers said the conference’s purpose is threefold: informing the public, initiating fellowship, and advancing knowledge.
“We want to inform the public that there exists an excellent intersection between faith and science,” Spitzer told EWTN News. “We want to use this conference as a starting point to form an international organization dedicated to having Ph.D. scientists, philosophers, and theologians interacting with each other in a fellowship of both faith and their academic disciplines.”
To that end, a public keynote titled “Is the Notion of God Meaningful to Scientific Culture? The Openness of Science to the Quest for Truth and Meaning” will be delivered by Father Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti of Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross who is also an adjunct scholar at the Vatican Observatory. The lecture is free but registration is required.
Beyond that public lecture, the conference itself is invitation-only, gathering some of the world’s leading scientists, philosophers, and theologians. “This is not a lightweight group,” Jordan said.
Physics is an area of science remarkably appealing to Catholics, revealing as it does the created world’s order and intelligibility. A number of famous physicists have been deeply religious Catholics, including Georges Lemaître, a Belgian priest and astrophysicist who first proposed the big bang theory; Victor Hess, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering cosmic rays; and modern scientists like Cornell’s Jonathan Lunine, Vanderbilt’s Robert Scherrer, and the University of Delaware’s Stephen Barr, who will deliver a keynote at Chapman.
“By bringing together various research organizations, without losing their identity, they can contribute to the common knowledge,” Tamma said. “They can come in dialogue to really work together and the results can be a gift to society and to the Church.”
Advancing the existing body of knowledge across various disciplines through this focused collaboration is the third major goal of the event.
“Can we make further progress? Can we advance our knowledge, both about our work and our faith?” Jordan said. “I would love to see new insights come out of this meeting, such as new scientific, philosophical, and theological articles and books published. We hope to deepen our knowledge about faith and science together.”
Spitzer highlighted that many scientific fields point toward Catholic beliefs, citing the argument for “fine tuning” in the field of cosmology, the theories of emergence and convergence in biology, and the argument for a “mind-like universe” proposed in philosopher Thomas Nagel’s book “Mind and Cosmos.”
His examples reveal how many disparate scientific fields offer their own support of St. Augustine’s words: “If any man could hear [the earth and sea and air and heavens], he should hear them saying with one voice, ‘We did not make ourselves, but he made us who abides forever.’”
Quantum physics — which is foundational to scientific understanding and widely known in popular culture — lends itself particularly well to the growing faith-science dialogue. “Quantum science is foundational for the whole of physics and therefore for the rest of science,” Spitzer said, “so it’s a good place to start.”
Three decades of rapid progress in quantum physics have filtered into pop culture through science fiction, but beneath the hype, scientists say the field definitively opens the door to something greater than what science can know.
“A lot of people know about quantum mechanics, but they have a flawed understanding of what it is,” Tamma said. “There are laws of quantum mechanics that are well defined — and these laws point to questions that cannot be answered by physics alone.”
Nicaraguan police arrest 80-year-old bishop being treated at a medical clinic
Abelardo Mata, the bishop emeritus of Estelí, Nicaragua, who recently turned 80, was detained for several hours on June 29 by the dictatorships’s police one day after he had celebrated a Mass in which he called for prayers for the persecuted Church in the country.
Around midday on Monday, the prelate was taken into police custody from the clinic to the Investigations Center at the Evaristo Vásquez Sánchez Police Complex, headquarters of the Directorate of Judicial Assistance known as “El Nuevo Chipote,” according to reports by Arnulfo Peralta Solís, a Nicaraguan journalist based in the United States.
El Nuevo Chipote is where political dissidents have been imprisoned and allegedly tortured.
Peralta further stated that on that same day, Mata returned to his home in the town of Tisma. The journalist had spoken with the bishop on May 18 during the latterʼs first public appearance in years as he congratulated an Indigenous Nicaraguan doctor working in Denver.
According to the newspaper La Prensa, Mata arrived in Estelí on Thursday, June 25, and his detention took place following a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, June 28, at the Calvary’s Cross church, where the bishop “asked for prayers for the persecuted Church and prayed for exiled priests, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez and Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón.”
According to the Nicaraguan newspaper, Mata is reportedly barred by authorities from traveling to Estelí and celebrating Mass there.
The Nicaraguan media Mosaico CSI reported that the prelate had visited a clinic in Estelí for a checkup, as he uses a pacemaker.
Álvarez, who serves as apostolic administrator of Estelí since Mata resigned in 2021, currently lives in Rome. He was exiled there in January 2024 after serving about 11 months of a 26-year prison sentence, not counting the approximately seven months he was held under house arrest prior. The prelate was a consistent critic of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
Valle, who is over 80 years old, holds the position of “administrator ad omnia” for Estelí, meaning he can carry out all ordinary functions of pastoral governance except those reserved to a bishop. Valle is currently living at the Our Lady of Fatima Seminary and is under house arrest, prohibited from leaving the seminary.
“Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata has been a bishop close to the people who has spoken the truth, actions that the Sandinista dictatorship does not tolerate,” researcher Martha Patricia Molina stated on June 30 in comments to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
Molina, the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which has documented thousands of attacks by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship against Catholics since 2018, noted that “in Nicaragua, anyone who dares to voice an opinion, however obvious it may seem, ends up offending the dictatorship and that’s why they keep the prelates under surveillance.”
“They are constantly threatened with imprisonment or exile, and while not all cases become public, several priests are enduring this same constant harassment without reporting it publicly, because the dictatorship reacts more harshly when they do,” Molina explained.
In April, a priest in Nicaragua speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons gave an interview to ACI Prensa to denounce the harassment he faces on a daily basis.
Every Sunday, the police arrive to photograph him. He is required to report every time he leaves his parish, every religious service, and every movement outside his territory. If he speaks about a social issue during his homily, he risks one of two things: imprisonment or exile.
Mata is ‘courageous, beloved, and credible voice in Nicaragua’
“Bishop Mata has been a strong, courageous voice that has always spoken truth to power, and that truth and light are unsettling. He is a beloved and credible voice in Nicaragua,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States, told ACI Prensa.
“The dictatorship tends to want to normalize what is happening in the country, and what has happened to Bishop Mata shows us that there is nothing normal in Nicaragua,” he said. “There is a spiteful, dangerous, criminal, and satanic dictatorship, and this must be denounced because it is the only way to put a stop to these actions, especially against any voice that dares to question the regime.”
McFields also charged that the dictatorship “harbors a deep-seated grudge against Bishop Mata and is intent on ‘settling scores.’”
Bishop Báez condemns attack on Mata
“I am deeply outraged by and absolutely condemn the act of aggression committed by the regime’s police against my brother Juan Abelardo Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí,” Bishop Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, currently in exile in Miami, wrote on X.
“These cowardly actions only demonstrate the weakness and irrationality of a criminal dictatorship,” the prelate stated on June 30.
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.
Aid official: ‘The world fell apart’ as coastal Venezuela awaits assistance
Several coastal states in Venezuela remain without foreign assistance as thousands of people — including children who have lost their families — are homeless or missing after two earthquakes last week.
“The world fell apart in less than two minutes,” Claudia Gonzales, an external relations manager for World Vision Venezuela, told “EWTN News Nightly” on June 30. “And yesterday our government says that we already have confirmed 1,700 people that died during the earthquakes.”
According to Gonzales, who lives just outside of Caracas, more than 60,000 people remain missing and 50,000 are homeless following a pair of 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
In her own city of Guarenas, she said, “we have more than 500 families that are sleeping in the streets, looking for help and looking for comfort.”
“We have people on the ground with concrete under them, and we donʼt know if they are still alive,” she said.
According to Gonzales, the most affected area is the coastal state of La Guaira, north of Caracas. She noted that several other northern states, including Carabobo, Falcón, Aragua, and Miranda, have not received aid.
“We have a lot of children that have not only [lost] their houses,” she said. “We have children that have lost their entire family, their neighbors.”
While Gonzales expressed gratitude for the influx of foreign aid and support, she emphasized that large parts of the population are still waiting for help.
“The international help came,” she said. “But the thing is, La Guaira is big; that is not enough.”
“The size of this tragedy, we’re talking about 80% of the buildings in La Guaira collapsed,” she said. “You know, itʼs just something that we never thought could happen in our country.”
Catholic response
The Catholic Church in Venezuela has mobilized alongside international Catholic nonprofits such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Caritas International, and Catholic Charities to provide support for earthquake victims.
CRS has been working in partnership with Caritas to provide food, shelter, and emergency healthcare to earthquake victims, according to CRS’ website.
Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami announced a relief fund for earthquake victims on June 26, with Archbishop Thomas Wenski calling for “our Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill across South Florida to stand in solidarity with the communities that will be hard hit” and “to please be generous in providing assistance.”
A New Mexico mountain with Christ at the top is the latest battleground in U.S. immigration debate
Deacon Jim Winder, the chancellor of the Diocese of Las Cruces in New Mexico, says the diocese, which sits along the U.S.-Mexico border, is “not against border security.”
“We’ve been accused of that, and it’s not correct,” he told EWTN News. In 2021 the diocese allowed federal immigration officials to build an access road and place motion sensors on diocesan-owned land that runs alongside Mexico, an arrangement the diocese renewed in 2023.
“They’ve had that ever since,” Winder said. “We think that’s adequate. I don’t think any people can get through there with that system.”
The U.S. federal government, however, is attempting to seize that land outright from the diocese and build a much more substantial border wall there. It is so determined to do so that it seeks to seize the land through eminent domain.
Las Cruces is fighting the government’s attempt in court, putting the diocese at the forefront of the current U.S. immigration debate.
Quite literally at the apex of the dispute is Mount Cristo Rey, a small mountain with a nearly-century-old statue of Jesus Christ atop it that has been a pilgrimage site for decades. The diocese says the government’s proposed border security at the base of the mountain would negatively affect pilgrims coming to the site.
The Trump administration’s immigration policy has come under fire from numerous elements of the U.S. Catholic Church over the past 18 months, including the U.S. bishops and multiple dioceses that have witnessed enhanced immigration enforcement. Various Church leaders have urged the administration to balance its border security efforts with more mercy and discretion.
Winder stressed that the diocese is supportive of immigration security. But, he said, “we see the border wall as more of a political tool — something that the administration wants to do to show that they’re tough on immigration.”
Winder said the disputed stretch of land near El Paso, Texas, is not ideal for illegal immigration. Mount Cristo Rey, he said, is “really rough. It’s not super tall but it’s rough. To try to go over the mountain to get in the United States — it’s a pretty effective barrier in and of itself.”
“It’s nice flat ground on either side of it, for hundreds of miles,” he said. “[The government] patrols it. They’ve got vehicles parked there. I don’t think it’s a real high-volume place,” he observed, for illegal immigration crossings.
Statue of Christ arose from priest’s vision
Amid the ongoing court battle, Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino held a Mass atop Mount Cristo Rey on June 28, drawing hundreds of faithful to the sun-baked top of the mountain with Christ towering over them.
Mount Cristo Rey sits near the now-vanished town of Smeltertown within what Winder called a “unique” tip of land in New Mexico, one that is surrounded both by the state of Texas and the nation of Mexico. Both El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, are roughly southeast of the mountain.
An informational website says the towering statue of Christ took shape from 1933, when local priest Father Lourdes Costa “[looked] out the back window of his residence in the community of Smeltertown [and] envisioned erecting a monument at the summit of this glorious mountain.”
The 29-foot-tall limestone statue was dedicated in 1940. It has since become a regular pilgrimage site, with the faithful hiking up the short summit to the base of the monument.
Winder said the decision to hold the Mass on June 28 was “completely apolitical.”
“It wasn’t meant as a protest,” he said. “It was a Mass. It was meant for prayer, to bring people together, to practice unity, to pray for the Church, and to pray for government leaders.”
The response to the Mass was “very good,” the deacon said.
“It was very hot. It’s not a great time to climb mountains in southern New Mexico. But about 400 people showed up and made the climb. They came from all over. Some from El Paso, some from our diocese, some from Albuquerque and beyond.”
The mountain has served as a significant site for local Catholic worship for nearly a century, Winder said. He compared the geography of the area to the “Four Corners” monument where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico all meet.
“This is a place where there’s this unity of two nations and two states,” he said. “There’s a symbolism of that unity in Christ the King standing above it. But it’s also a pilgrimage site.”
“It’s just a special place,” he said. “It’s very powerful. It’s a magnificent place to have Mass.”
The diocese was dealt a blow in June when a federal district court said the government could put down a six-figure deposit on the land as a pretext to obtaining it. The dispute is still ongoing, Winder said, with another hearing anticipated in late July.
The diocese has filed numerous motions against the government’s effort, he said. He described the proposed border wall as more of a political symbol than a really practical measure, one that would mar the sacredness of the site.
“If you go to the mountain and hike to the top, you’ll see a 30-foot-tall image of Christ the King,” he said. “And if the government builds this wall, and you turn your head slightly [from Christ], you’ll see a 30-foot ‘Keep Out’ sign below.”
“It’s an affront,” he said.
Argentinians join in prayer for earthquake-shattered Venezuelans
With thousands dead, injured, and missing in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, Argentinians gathered in prayer for the Venezuelan people on June 28 at the basilica and national shrine of Our Lady of Luján. There, the archbishop of Mercedes-Luján, Jorge Eduardo Scheinig, offered Mass for the Venezuelan people.
“Let us think of those who have died and their families,” Scheinig said in his homily. “In a single minute, so many people were left with nothing, absolutely nothing,” he noted.
“Let us pray for the rescue workers and for all those who are working [on the ground]. Let us stand in solidarity with them through prayer,” said Scheinig, who proceeded to lead a moment of silence to pray to God and the Virgin for the people of Venezuela.
The archbishop dedicated the rest of his homily to examining priorities, those things that “carry more weight than others” and “have the power to bring order to our lives.”
“If you have the right priorities, you are at peace. But if you choose your priorities poorly, it causes confusion and anguish for you; it doesn’t help you live well. So, from time to time, we need to have the courage to reexamine our priorities,” he noted.
In this regard, he said that “Jesus helps us order our priorities,” and elaborated: “What is Jesus’ priority? God. What comes first for Jesus? God. And what does he advise us? Put God first, and you won’t regret it,” he explained.
He therefore urged people to ask themselves: “What place does God hold? What place does Mass hold?” he continued.
“If you put God’s love first, if you love God in your life — that love is so good, so pure, and so radiant that it brings order to your entire life and helps you understand your whole life. Because God takes nothing away from you; he fills your life with love,” he pointed out.
“Putting God first means taking a stand, taking a risk, and filling your heart with love; that helps you love everyone and everything in a different way, to love better,” he emphasized.
Referring to the situation in Venezuela, Scheinig reflected: “Just look at how strange the world is. Today, television shows harrowing scenes. I was watching the news and saw a little boy crying — he had been left all alone after the earthquake, and it breaks your heart. Yet, a short while later, we’re watching the Argentina [World Cup] match.”
“And notice, too, that we see scenes of war, of migrants who have nothing and live in a small tent. That’s the world. It happens to us in a family as well: You might be celebrating the 15th birthday of one of your children and then a close relative dies or someone comes down with an illness. That’s life. Life is that strange mix of very beautiful things and deeply painful things,” he noted.
“But when your heart has priorities, you don’t get confused. And so, yes, we can cheer for the national team, but my priority isn’t soccer; my priority is life, it’s what happens to other people. I don’t let the things of life desensitize me,” he cautioned.
That is why, “if God is your priority, you are able to not get desensitized to pain. You have your life on track. You can watch the World Cup, but you realize that it isn’t the priority. Your life is in order. You know where you stand, what you want, and what you don’t want,” he continued.
In that context, he added, the need arises to stand with Venezuelans in prayer: “God, strengthen so many people whose lives changed in an instant.”
“We also feel moved to show solidarity, to give money and goods, and to share what we have with those in need because your heart is rightly ordered; it is with God.”
“Life presents us with complex, difficult moments in the world,” Scheinig acknowledged, while expressing the hope that “God holds first place on our list of priorities, so that we may remain good people.”
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.
Catholic youth chaplains in Nigeria urged to report abuse allegations to Church, civil authorities
ABUJA, Nigeria — The national director of the Pastoral Affairs Department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria has urged youth chaplains across the country to promptly report allegations of abuse involving minors to both Church and civil authorities, emphasizing that safeguarding is an essential responsibility of youth ministry.
Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on the sidelines of a June 25 seminar for provincial youth chaplains, Father Augustine Olusegun Fasiku said the Churchʼs commitment to young people requires creating and maintaining safe environments.
“The Church entrusts young people to chaplains not merely to organize programs or celebrate Masses. She entrusts them with the lives, safety, dignity, and spiritual growth of those young people, and so you must report abuse of minors anytime it occurs under your watch,” Fasiku said.
Describing youth chaplains as both “pastor and protector,” he said every retreat, counseling session, youth gathering, and online interaction should reflect accountability, vigilance, and care.
Fasiku stressed that chaplains have moral, pastoral, canonical, and legal obligations to report allegations of abuse immediately rather than attempt to address them privately.
“The first responsibility is to receive the report seriously and compassionately,” he said. “However, the chaplain must remember that he is not an investigator. His role is not to interrogate witnesses or determine guilt. He must promptly report the allegation to the appropriate diocesan safeguarding office or Church authority while ensuring that relevant civil authorities are informed according to legal requirements.”
The Nigerian Catholic priest cautioned against efforts to conceal abuse in order to avoid scandal, noting that such actions can expose both individuals and Church institutions to legal consequences.
“There should be no confusion today; Pope Francis abolished the pontifical secret in cases involving sexual abuse of minors. Internal Church procedures cannot be used to prevent cooperation with civil authorities,” he said.
Fasiku underscored that canonical procedures and civil legal processes operate alongside one another.
“In Nigeria, withholding information in order to avoid scandal can itself create serious legal consequences. The welfare of the child must always take precedence over institutional reputation,” he said.
Referring to Nigeria’s Child Rights Act of 2003 and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act of 2015, he said Church personnel who commit offenses against minors are accountable under both ecclesiastical and civil law.
“What this means is that a priest, chaplain, teacher, or Church worker who commits an offense against a minor is not only answerable to ecclesiastical authorities but also accountable under Nigerian law,” he explained.
Fasiku also highlighted provisions of Church law governing safeguarding, citing Canon 1752, which states that the salvation of souls is the supreme law of the Church, and Canon 1398, which criminalizes sexual offenses against minors and vulnerable persons, including grooming and the possession of abusive materials.
He further pointed to Pope Francis’ motu proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi (You Are the Light of the World) saying that it establishes mandatory reporting obligations within the Church and mechanisms for holding Church leaders accountable in cases of negligence or cover-ups.
Addressing the dynamics of youth ministry, Fasiku warned that abuse often begins with the misuse of authority and trust.
“Young people frequently see priests as representatives of God. If a chaplain abuses that authority by manipulating a young person’s conscience or presenting personal desires as God’s will, the consequences can be devastating,” he said.
He noted that many young people seek guidance from chaplains during periods of grief, family difficulties, identity struggles, and other personal crises, circumstances that can create significant imbalances of power.
“Parents entrust their children to the Church because they believe the Church will protect them,” he said. “Young people themselves share personal struggles because they trust their chaplain.”
According to the priest, that trust places a fiduciary obligation on ministers to act solely in the best interests of those entrusted to their care.
He added that no romantic, financial, or exploitative relationship between a chaplain and a young person can ever be justified, because responsibility for maintaining appropriate boundaries rests with the adult minister.
He also outlined practical safeguarding measures, encouraging chaplains to observe the “Two-Adult Rule” and ensure meetings with minors take place in visible and transparent settings.
“Counseling sessions should not occur in isolated private locations. Physical contact should always remain appropriate, public, and nonexclusive,” he said.
He further cautioned against favoritism and emotional dependency, warning that special privileges or excessive personal attention to individual youths can foster unhealthy attachments and resemble grooming behavior.
Fasiku also addressed the challenges posed by digital communication, urging chaplains to avoid secretive online interactions with minors.
“Private messaging late at night, disappearing messages, secret chats, or communications that cannot be monitored create unnecessary risks and should be avoided,” he said.
He encouraged the use of official and accountable communication channels and recommended involving parents or other responsible adults whenever appropriate.
On care for survivors, Fasiku emphasized that victims of abuse must receive compassionate accompaniment and access to spiritual, psychological, emotional, and medical support.
“The Church’s responsibility does not end with receiving a report; accompaniment and healing is an essential component of pastoral care,” he said.
He added that accused ministers should have no contact with victims or their families during investigations and that independent pastoral caregivers should be assigned to support those affected while safeguarding the integrity of the process.
Fasiku urged youth chaplains to view safeguarding not as an administrative requirement but as a concrete expression of the Gospel.
“The future of the Church depends greatly on the trust young people place in her; that trust can only flourish when young people know they are safe,” he said.
The priest emphasized: “When we protect the vulnerable, we honor Christ. When we create safe environments, we strengthen the Church. And when we place the dignity and welfare of young people at the center of our ministry, we fulfill both our pastoral mission and our legal obligation.”
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Christian Brothers in Australia transferred millions in property ahead of settlement, report claims
A Christian group that is facing closure in Australia and elsewhere amid efforts to settle abuse lawsuits reportedly transferred millions of dollars’ worth of property to a separate Catholic entity over a period of years, according to allegations in a major news report.
Christian Brothers Oceania Province said on June 22 it was proposing a plan to facilitate the “orderly distribution of [its] remaining property, funds, and other assets” to victims of abuse by congregation members.
The organization said its remaining property totaled around $216 million and that it would move to distribute that value to both abuse victims and the future care of its brothers in the province, which includes Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.
A June 26 report by the Guardian, meanwhile, alleged that the group “has spent the last decade transferring large, multimillion-dollar property holdings for amounts of $1 to a separate Catholic church entity,” one that is “not part of the proposed sell-off scheme.”
The report alleges that the Edmund Rice Education Australia received the property deals from the brothers. The organization was “created in 2007 to assume control of schools previously associated with the Christian Brothers” including institutions in Sydney and Brisbane.
The Guardian did not publish the documents in full, though it did include excerpts of some documents in its report.
The newspaper alleged that the documents show “in New South Wales alone, the Christian Brothers transferred 26 separate properties to Edmund Rice Education Australia for amounts of $1 or $0 between 2013 and 2024.”
Those properties “are now worth well over” $50 million, the paper said, and include homes, schools, and vacant lands.
Neither the Christian Brothers group nor Edmund Rice Education Australia responded to requests for comment from EWTN News regarding the Guardian report. But the education group told the Guardian that it would “not be selling property to help the Christian Brothers” in its settlement, the paper said.
The group told the newspaper that it was established as a “separate legal entity” for stewarding the schools.
A spokesperson for the Christian Brothers group, meanwhile, told the Guardian that its “current advisers” were “not involved” in the establishment of either the education group or the property transfers.
The spokesperson said the property transfers would be subject to “scrutiny” amid the broader settlement efforts by Christian Brothers.
The Christian Brothers congregation was founded in 1802 by Edmund Ignatius Rice in Waterford, Ireland. It was formally recognized by the Holy See in 1820.
Vatican financial watchdog loses autonomy
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering authority has been overhauled under a new 12-article statute that eliminates its president and board and places it under a new structure led by a director and deputy director appointed by the pope.
The Authority for Financial Information and Supervision, known by its Italian acronym ASIF, is now effectively structured as an office, with its leadership appointed directly by the pope for five-year terms and operating within the Vatican’s economic governance system.
The change marks a significant shift for an authority that, under its earlier identity as the Financial Information Authority and later as ASIF, had been designed with an international profile and a measure of autonomy in the Vatican’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
That autonomy had already come under strain in recent years, especially after the Vatican trial over the management of funds by the Secretariat of State. Searches of the authority’s offices by Vatican gendarmes created complications for international financial cooperation and raised questions about the authority’s independence.
The new statute confirms that ASIF has “exclusive competence” in three areas: supervision and regulation for the prevention and countering of money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; financial intelligence, including the receipt and analysis of suspicious activity reports and domestic and international cooperation; and prudential supervision and regulation of entities that professionally conduct financial activities.
The authority also “provides support to the other public authorities of the Holy See and Vatican City State” in preventing and countering money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, and related predicate offenses.
The statute says ASIF may also “serve as an alternative dispute resolution system” for disputes between users and entities that professionally carry out financial activities in connection with financial operations and services.
Under the new rules, ASIF’s annual report must be submitted to the Council for the Economy, with a copy sent to the president of the Financial Security Committee. The authority will also submit its projected and final budgets directly to the Council for the Economy for approval, “in accordance with the accounting rules in force.”
The statute says the authority will receive its annual operating funds from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the Governorate of Vatican City State, and entities that professionally conduct financial activities. The Council for the Economy will determine the contribution required from each.
The authority’s structure now includes three offices: an office for supervision and regulation in the area of preventing and countering money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing; an office for financial intelligence; and an office for prudential supervision and regulation.
The new statute also establishes a legal affairs officer, who, among other duties, is responsible for fundamental rights in the context of financial intelligence activity.
With the reform, ASIF is effectively treated as equivalent to a dicastery of the Roman Curia. The statute also provides for consultors, who were not part of the authority’s previous structure and will be appointed by the pope for five-year terms.
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.
Major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to visit Baltimore basilica
The first-class relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque will visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore as the next stop on their U.S. pilgrimage.
The sacred relics are traveling as part of a pilgrimage sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence following the June 11 Mass that consecrated the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
While the relics are in Maryland, Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate Mass on July 5 at the basilica to commemorate the nation’s anniversary and welcome the faithful to venerate the relics.
The relics, which are usually housed in the Chapel of the Apparitions at St. Margaret Mary’s French convent, were flown from Paris to New York on June 2.
The reliquary that is touring the U.S. weighs nearly 150 pounds with its protective case. It contains St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s clavicles, two of her ribs, and a small piece of her brain.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a 17th-century French religious sister who experienced visions of Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart for over a year.
While praying in 1673, Margaret heard Jesus tell her that he wanted to show his love for people by encouraging a special devotion to his Sacred Heart.
Christ revealed ways to venerate his Sacred Heart and explained the immense love he has for humanity, appearing with his heart visible outside his chest, on fire, and surrounded by a crown of thorns.
She was canonized a saint for her works including her strong devotion in 1920.
Relics to continue U.S. journey
The relics previously traveled to Orlando, Florida, for the Mass consecrating the U.S. to the Sacred Heart. The U.S. bishops consecrated the nation as part of their plenary meeting on June 11.
In his homily at the consecration Mass, Lori said: “We cannot come to the heart of Christ while pretending we have no need of his mercy.”
“The Sacred Heart does not divide; it reconciles,” he said. “It does not harden hearts; it transforms them. It does not simply invite us to receive love; it sends us forth to share it.”
Enclosed in the reliquary, the first-class relics were available for public veneration at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut, from June 24–27.
In celebration of Independence Day, the relics will visit two cities significant to America’s 250th anniversary including Washington, D.C., where they will be June 29 to July 1 at the St. John Paul II National Shrine.
On July 5 and 6, the relics will visit the Baltimore basilica until they return to New Haven, where they will be until July 18. More stops on the relics’ journey may be added while they are in the United States before returning to France.