Federal judge delays mifepristone lawsuit until after midterms
A federal judge on Sunday agreed to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s request to pause a lawsuit over the safety of the mifepristone pill and the drug’s mail-order distribution.
Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ordered that the lawsuit would be delayed until either Dec. 1 or the completion of the FDA’s safety review of mifepristone, whichever comes first.
In the lawsuit, Texas and Florida asked the court to revoke the FDA’s approval of the abortion-inducing pill, saying the agency didn’t adequately evaluate its safety when it approved the drug in 2000. The lawsuit also challenged mail-order distribution of the pill.
The FDA first announced it would review mifepristone in September 2025.
Pro-life group Live Action called on the FDA to protect women and unborn children from the abortion pill, citing studies that show dangerous side effects of the drug.
“The Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services officials must do their job to protect women and children from the dangerous abortion pill, which now accounts for 65% of all abortions in the United States and has led to the deaths of 7.5 million preborn children since its release,” Noah Brandt, spokesman for Live Action, told EWTN News.
“Both agencies have seen real-world data that show the harmful effects of the abortion pill,” Brandt said. “Within 45 days of a chemical abortion, 1 in 10 women experience serious adverse events from mifepristone, the first drug in the abortion pill regimen, such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging.”
“This shift in timing for the lawsuit and their ‘promised’ review indicates that they are prioritizing politics over the safety of American women and children,” Brandt said.
“While they continue to brush off these critical issues, the abortion pill is recklessly being mailed across state lines via telehealth distribution, enabling coercion and abuse,” Brandt said. “It’s time deadly mail-order abortion ended once and for all and this lethal pill be removed from the market completely.”
Pope Leo: Take time out of the daily bustle to ‘listen to the melodious voice’ of creation
Pope Leo XIV invited people to take time out from the daily bustle of their lives to listen to “the melodious voice of creation,” through which God speaks, as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is observed on Sept. 1.
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The Holy Father noted that this day also marks the beginning of the “Season of Creation,” a five-week period dedicated “to prayer and commitment to caring for our ‘common home’” that extends until Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of his death.
“On this day, therefore, and in the weeks ahead, let us set aside a few moments to pause from the frenzy of our daily lives in order to savor the profound harmony of which we ourselves are a part,” the pope encouraged during the Mass celebrated in the Madonnina Garden of the Borgo Laudato Si’ within the pontifical gardens of Castel Gandolfo.
“Let us place in ‘silent mode’ the many noises generated by human activity, so that we may hear the melodious voice of creation, through which God, the author of all things, speaks to us,” the pontiff encouraged.
Referring to his message issued for this 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the pope highlighted that “this contemplative exercise” is a first step toward an “authentic ecological conversion, where the effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in our relationship with the world around us.”
In his homily, the pope also highlighted that the readings for this Mass — Psalm 18, the passage from the Book of Wisdom (Wis 13:1–9), and the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 6:24–34) — recall the grandeur of creation and the “Creator of so many wonders,” such as air and fire.
He noted that they allow us to renew the idea that “if the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters!”
The Holy Father also noted that “from contemplating creation and encountering its Creator, there arises an awareness of our particular place within God’s wondrous plan, and of the responsibility that we bear both personally and collectively for preserving the original harmony. Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator.”
“It is not yet too late, and the Season of Creation calls us to a profound conversion,” he emphasized.
After explaining that Pope Francis drew inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi in writing his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which addresses the care of our common home, Leo XIV quoted the “Poverello of Assisi’s” praises to God for the moon, stars, wind, earth, fire, and water, among other elements.
“With St. Francis, let us renew our commitment to living and promoting that universal fraternity which is inseparably bound to the task of caring for creation,” the pope encouraged.
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.
Texas parish first in world named after 2015 Ghanian martyr
The first Catholic parish in the world founded under the patronage of Ghanaian martyr and saint Matthew Ayariga will open in Arlington, Texas, in January 2027.
Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth announced on Aug. 28 the opening of the church.
Ayariga was one of 21 Christian migrant workers in Libya kidnapped and then beheaded by the terrorist group ISIS on a beach near Sirte, Libya, on Feb. 15, 2015.
Originally from Ghana, Ayariga was the only Black African among the 21 men. The others were all Coptic Orthodox Christians from Egypt. When questioned about his faith by his kidnappers, he reportedly replied: “Their God is my God.”
The Coptic Orthodox Church canonized all 21 men as saints and martyrs on Feb. 21, 2015, under Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II.
In an ecumenical sign of communion between the two churches, Pope Francis announced that the 21 martyrs would be inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on May 11, 2023, during a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Tawadros II. Francis described the men as baptized “not only in water and the Spirit, but also in blood.”
As the authority to create saints lies with the Apostolic See, the saints did not have to go through the usual multistep canonization process involving the opening of a cause, beatification, and confirmed miracles.
The martyrs’ feast day in both churches is Feb. 15.
Another first
The parish will also be the first Ghanaian Catholic parish in the U.S. and will serve the Ghanaian community in north Texas, which has met since 2007 at St. Joseph Church in Arlington.
“Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church will provide a place for Ghanaian Catholics to come together in Christ as the Church to worship God, to assist their maintaining bonds with the Church in Ghana, and to strengthen their children sacramentally to grow as part of the local church here,” Olson told EWTN News in a statement.
He also said the church would serve as a place that would aid immigrants in their transition “to life as citizens and productive contributors to the common good of Texas and the United States.”
“We’ve had a growing Ghanaian presence in our diocese for a long time,” a spokesperson for the diocese told EWTN News. “Their community long envisioned having a parish to call their own.”
The community has been raising funds to establish its own parish for nearly 20 years, according to the spokesperson. “When they began raising funds, there was no name attached to the nonexistent parish. The name was only settled on recently, although I would guess that after his martyrdom, Matthew Ayariga’s name began to rise to the top of the list of parish names.”
Three Masses to dedicate the new church, a former Methodist church being renovated in south Arlington, are planned for the weekend of Jan. 29–31, 2027. The archbishop of Kumasi, Ghana, Gabriel Anokye, is expected to attend, along with dignitaries and other representatives of the Ghanaian community, bishops and cardinals from Texas and around the U.S., and other local officials.
‘There is a place for you and your baby’: Pro-life organization seeks to open new maternity home
The pro-life organization Life in Mercy is seeking to acquire a larger home in Houston to shelter pregnant women and their babies who are facing difficult situations.
Speaking to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the organizationʼs founder and director, Zeira Becerra, said the new project will be presented during the “Vision and Hope Breakfast” on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Becerra said the initiative grew out of a promise she made to herself in New York in 1991, “when I was hired, without realizing it, by an abortion clinic.”
“There I witnessed a reality that changed my life forever: women arriving who felt they had no other way out, and lives just beginning to form being ended by abortion,” she recalled.
‘There has to be a place’
Becerra recalled a moment that she said particularly touched her heart: “I wanted to help a 14-year-old girl so she could continue with her baby’s life, but I discovered I had no safe place to take her. That was when I became certain that there has to be a place.”
That day, she said, “I made a promise to myself, a purpose for my life: I didn’t know how, but I had to create that place.”
“Many years had to pass,” she said, but eventually that promise “became Life in Mercy, a home where an expectant mother could find a welcome, support, and a real, loving, and merciful alternative to choose life.”
In its 10 years of work, Life in Mercy has supported “around 75 mothers and their babies in various ways,” she noted. “Each one represents a unique story and a life that deserved to be welcomed with hope.”
Becerra said Life in Mercy helps each mother “connect with the resources she needs, providing emotional and spiritual support and, above all, reminding her that she is not alone and that a difficult situation does not have to end her childʼs life.”
“In the end, we want more women who find themselves facing a difficult situation to be able to hear something very simple but decisive: ‘There is a place for you and your baby,’” she said.
‘A larger, newer, and better-situated house’
The organization is currently aiming to “acquire a larger, newer, and better-situated house that allows us to welcome more mothers and babies,” a move Becerra said she considers “a very important stage” for the initiative.
“We sold our previous house because we needed to take the next step. It was an old house, and our mission has grown,” she explained.
“And that is precisely one of the main reasons for this breakfast,” she noted: “We don’t simply want to reopen a house; we want to build a broader response to the need we are seeing in Houston.”
‘She arrived sad, scared, and unsure of what would become of her life’
During the breakfast, a woman who “came to us with a 6-year-old child and was in her first trimester of pregnancy” will share her testimony, Becerra said.
“She had been abandoned by her partner; she had no job, vehicle, or family in Houston, and as an immigrant, she was practically alone. In her desperation, she even considered ending her baby’s life as her only way out,” Becerra continued.
“By the grace of God, she first received care at a crisis center for women, where she was able to rediscover the value of her baby’s life and learn that there were people and resources ready to help her. That was when she found the strength to go on, and she subsequently came to our shelter,” she said.
The woman, she recalled, “arrived sad, frightened, and unsure of what would become of her life.”
“Over time, something beautiful happened,” Becerra said, as “she regained her self-confidence, had a beautiful baby girl, and was able to move forward.”
Becerra explained that the mission of Life in Mercy “does not end when the baby is born,” because “we want to walk with the mother so she can begin a new phase in life with her child — with dignity, hope, and the tools to move forward.”
Although Texas generally prohibits abortion with limited medical exceptions, Becerra pointed out that “the fact that abortion is no longer legal in Texas does not mean the problem is over, nor that we can let our guard down. On the contrary, we have an even greater responsibility to support mothers who choose life.”
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.
Quebec’s Cardinal Ouellet vindicated in abuse lawsuit
A judge has found sexual misconduct accusations against Quebec’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet to be unfounded and ordered his accuser to pay him 100,000 Canadian dollars (about $72,000).
The cardinal, retired since April 2024, had been under a cloud of suspicion since Paméla Groleau accused him of touching her without consent on three occasions between 2008 and 2010 while she was training or working as a lay pastoral agent. She also told the court she felt “hunted” at another event, saying Ouellet came from across the room to sit next to her.
“The court finds that the allegations describing the four events cited by Ms. Groleau in the context of the class action are false,” Superior Court Justice Martin Castonguay wrote in a decision released Aug. 31.
Castonguay concluded that Groleau’s testimony against the now-82-year-old Ouellet “was neither credible nor reliable,” noting in his judgment that she had changed her story several times.
Two other women testified against Ouellet at the trial, but the judge ruled their testimony was not pertinent to the question of whether Groleau defamed Ouellet. He also concluded Ouellet was “not the author of the gestures” brought into evidence by one of the women.
The allegations against the cardinal surfaced in 2022 as part of a class-action lawsuit launched against the Archdiocese of Quebec and dozens of clergy and lay members. In response, Ouellet publicly denied any wrongdoing and countered with a CA$100,000 defamation countersuit against his accuser, claiming she had damaged his reputation, honor, and dignity.
After the lawsuit was filed, the Vatican chose not to launch its own investigation into the cardinal. In a statement issued Aug. 18, 2022, by Matteo Bruni, then-director of the Press Office of the Holy See, the Vatican found there were “insufficient elements to open a canonical investigation for sexual assault by Cardinal Ouellet against person F,” as Groleau was identified at the time.
In his ruling, Castonguay said the damage to Ouellet — former archbishop of Quebec who would serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — and his reputation was “amplified by the chosen vehicle, meaning that of a class action aimed principally at religious pedophiles, thereby equating Cardinal Ouellet, in the eyes of the ‘ordinary citizen,’ with that group of individuals.” He said it “is difficult to quantify” the true impact of the allegations against Ouellet and awarded him the CA$100,000 he sought.
The class action was ratified Aug. 12, with the Quebec Superior Court approving a CA$31.5 million out-of-court settlement.
In a statement, Ouellet’s lawyers were pleased the court recognized the injustice suffered by the cardinal.
“This judgment reaffirms a fundamental principle: even in the context of judicial proceedings, serious allegations must be based on accurate and relevant facts and advanced with the rigour required by their gravity,” Dominique Ménard said in the statement.
The cardinal has promised to donate the award to organizations fighting against sexual abuse experienced by Indigenous Canadians.
The class action also accused Quebec’s current archbishop, Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, of sexual misconduct. After stepping aside for six months in early 2024, Lacroix resumed his role after a Vatican-mandated investigation found no evidence to support the accusations.
This story was first published by Canada’s The Catholic Register and is reprinted here with permission.
Bishop Menjivar appoints priests to assist Latin Mass expansion in West Virginia
The newly installed bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is expanding the availability of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in West Virginia and appointed priests to help facilitate this initiative.
Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala — who became the bishop of the diocese that covers the entirety of West Virginia in July — announced the changes in a message to the faithful issued Aug. 28. Menjivar succeeded Bishop Mark E. Brennan, who retired.
“This is an initiative of Bishop Evelio to ensure that the spiritual needs of every part of his flock are attended to by priests of our diocese,” the announcement said.
According to the announcement, the bishop’s purpose is to foster “greater unity among Catholic faithful” and attend to “their diverse spiritual needs.”
Beginning Sept. 20, the TLM can be celebrated at the mission Our Lady of Seven Dolors in Triadelphia at 1:30 p.m. on Sundays. Previously, the mission only had a monthly celebration. Menjivar will add a TLM option in the Charleston area, but the location is yet to be determined.
The regular TLM will continue at St. John University Parish in Morgantown at 9 a.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays.
Menjivar also attended a Latin Mass at the Priory of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Charles Town on Aug. 30. The priory offers the TLM daily, along with a Saturday vigil and three Sunday Masses. He delivered remarks to the congregation before the homily.
“In his mercy and providence, the Lord has sent me to serve as your shepherd,” the bishop said. “I want to reiterate to you, today, my sincere desire to serve the Lord faithfully and to care for the salvation of every soul entrusted to my pastoral care. I’m also here today to assure you, you personally, [of] my deep affection and esteem for each of you and for this particular community.”
Menjivar said: “Your fidelity to the sacred liturgy, your devotion, and your reverence for the mysteries of our faith enrich the life of the entire Church.”
“My desire is that everyone — everyone — finds a home in the Church and that in everything we do, we remain deeply united in Christ and in communion with the Holy Father, always seeking what strengthens our faith, builds up the body of Christ, and leads us together toward holiness,” he said.
Priestly appointments
The bishop appointed Father Timothy Grassi, pastor of St. James in Charles Town, to serve as the episcopal delegate for matters related to the “usus antiquior” for the diocese. The usus antiquior, which means “the ancient usage,” refers to the TLM, which was the standard form of the Mass prior to reforms that came after the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s.
Grassi will oversee celebrations of the TLM to ensure that every Mass is celebrated lawfully in accordance with restrictions imposed in Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which remains in effect. He also will coordinate between the diocese and the four TLM congregations in West Virginia.
“In the exercise of his function, Father Grassi will ensure that these celebrations are legally authorized in accordance with the universal law of the Church and the dispositions of the Apostolic See,” the announcement said.
When reached by email, Grassi told EWTN News that the bishop is “simply trying to be a good shepherd to all of the faithful.” The greater availability ensures “those attracted to this form of the Mass have easier accessibility to it, just as he has concern for the Hispanics of the diocese to have a Spanish Mass,” he said.
“He is following all the guidelines that the Vatican has given and is simply trying to let the faithful know of his care for them,” Grassi added. “My role is to coordinate with the bishop in these matters and ensure that all of the guidelines are properly followed. Bishop Evelio is showing his deep pastoral care for the souls entrusted to him.”
The bishop also appointed regional usus antiquior delegates.
Father Justin M. Golna, pastor at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellsburg, is the delegate for the Wheeling area. Father Brian Crenwelge, pastor at St. John University Parish in Morgantown, will continue as the Morgantown area delegate. Father Phillip Szabo will stay as the delegate for the Charleston area.
Vatican diplomat says Moscow mission focused on peace despite no concrete breakthrough
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said diplomacy remains a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine after high-level talks in Moscow produced no concrete breakthrough.
Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials during an Aug. 24–28 visit to Russia.
“We went to Moscow to speak of peace, to encourage souls troubled by war, and to say ‘Have courage, embrace the path of peace, have the hope of believing in a better day,” Gallagher said in an interview with Vatican News published Sunday. “And I believe that essentially this was our message.”
Gallagher met with Lavrov during the first day of his visit, although he was not received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After more than an hour of talks, the two appeared before reporters, with the Vatican diplomat reiterating Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine.
“The Holy See does not enter into the details of the negotiations, nor does it propose technical solutions, because this is the direct responsibility of the belligerent parties,” Gallagher said in the subsequent Vatican News interview.
“The Holy See, instead, recalls this responsibility and invites them to show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue,” he continued. “And it does so by addressing both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as other countries, asking that no effort be spared to create spaces for dialogue.”
A ‘difficult’ dialogue
Gallagher acknowledged that discussing peace in Russia means engaging in “a difficult dialogue.”
“The longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be to restore relations: There are many victims, many open wounds,” he said. “But we know very well that, historically, all conflicts, all wars end with a negotiation, with an agreement, and then one begins to restore relations between the former belligerents.”
“In this sense, diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution,” Gallagher said. “This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim.”
Gallagher and Lavrov also discussed possible humanitarian initiatives and the situation of children affected by the war. The Holy See expressed its willingness to continue offering spiritual, diplomatic, and humanitarian assistance.
“This dimension is fundamental and, in this area, the Holy See is already offering its contribution, a commitment that so far has been greatly appreciated,” Gallagher said.
“The Holy Father himself, before I left, told me: We must insist on the humanitarian dimension. And that is what we did,” he added.
“We hope that Cardinal [Matteo] Zuppi’s peace mission will continue and that he will be able to return promptly to Moscow, also in order to be a witness to what the local Church and the Catholic communities are doing.”
Zuppi traveled to Moscow in 2023 and 2024 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for peace. His mission included humanitarian efforts concerning Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.
Outreach to the Russian Orthodox Church
Gallagher also visited Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of the city’s most prominent Orthodox landmarks.
There he was received by Igor Yakimchuk, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Gallagher also met with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who heads the department.
The talks covered issues of common concern and were intended to keep channels of communication open between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church at a particularly sensitive moment for the region.
Relations between the two churches have been severely strained since Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill publicly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meeting Russia’s Catholic minority
Gallagher devoted the final day of his visit to Russia’s small Catholic community.
Catholics make up a tiny minority in the country, with roughly 800,000 faithful among a population of more than 146 million — about 0.5%. The Church is organized into four dioceses centered on the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.
During his stay, Gallagher celebrated Mass at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and met with priests, religious men and women, and the country’s Catholic bishops.
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.
This is Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September is for the care of water.
“Imagine a hot summer day, after hard work or a long walk, you finally take a sip of cool water. Feel how relief and energy flow through your body,” the Holy Father said in a video released Sept. 1 on X.
He added: “Moments like these remind us what a blessing clean water is yet, 1 in 4 people worldwide still lack safe drinking water. Entire communities and nations need our action and our prayer for the care of water for the blessed relief.”
In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention:
Lord of Life,
You have given us the gift of water,
source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope.
It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds.
We thank you,
because it is also a symbol of your grace and love
that renews us through baptism.
Today we ask you to teach us to safeguard it
with gratitude, justice, and responsibility.
Forgive us for turning it into a commodity,
forgetting that it is a universal gift,
a right without borders, meant for all your children.
We see with pain so many brothers and sisters
who lack clean water,
who walk for miles to find it,
who become ill due to its scarcity.
May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential,
able to live with simplicity,
denouncing waste and pollution,
defending the right of every brother and sister
to drink without fear and without inequality.
May our care for water
be a sign of love for the Creator
and a commitment to the lives of the poor,
educating new generations to value
and protect the Earth’s resources.
Amen.”
“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.
Wendell Berry, agrarian writer who envisioned a world ‘redeemed only by love,’ dies at 92
Wendell Berry, the prolific American author whose work spanned decades and who spent his career urging Americans to pursue a simpler, more virtuous life, died on Aug. 31, his family said.
His daughter Mary confirmed his passing via the New York Times. His cause of death was not immediately known; the Kentucky-born writer was 92 years old.
A writer of fiction, poetry, and essays, Berry was known for his advocacy of rural life, for urging readers to develop a close connection to farming and food, and for calling for the care of the environment.
His work united a broad cross-section of the American public from liberal environmentalists to Christian homesteaders to local food advocates to conservative conservationists.
Born in Louisville on Aug. 5, 1934, Berry studied English at the University of Kentucky and writing at Stanford University. He taught English at the University of Kentucky for several years and also taught at New York University.
From 1965 until his death he lived and worked at his farm, Lane’s Landing, in Henry County, Kentucky.
His politics were broad and diverse. He was famously critical of big business and corporations and was a fierce detractor of coal companies. He was opposed to the death penalty, at one point urging his home state to abolish it entirely.
Amid the racial and cultural disputes of 2020, he sued the University of Kentucky in order to prevent the removal of a purportedly racially offensive mural there — though he said he was pained by the knowledge that his ancestors “established themselves here by killing or driving out the original possessors” and that “people were once bought and sold here by my people.” Berry was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2012.
Throughout his career he remained devoted to both the natural world and to the small farm — a philosophy, he said in 2002, that meant he had “spent [his] life on two losing sides.”
He urged advocates to reconcile both the need to preserve the natural world and the need to support the human beings that are an indelible part of the world. “The question we must deal with is not whether the domestic and the wild are separate or can be separated; it is how, in the human economy, their indissoluble and necessary connection can be properly maintained,” he wrote.
Baptized a Baptist, Berry remained distant from organized religion, calling himself at one point a “forest Christian.” Yet his work and his advocacy attracted large numbers of Christians, including Catholics.
Writing in America Magazine in 2017, the Catholic writer Anna Keating said that his unique philosophy “can prove helpful to Catholics, serving as an antidote to the many ills of our time.”
He also briefly partnered with the Catholic St. Catharine College in Springfield, Kentucky, to launch the Berry Farming Program, though the college closed in 2016.
He wrote that he “[took] literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world.”
“I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love,” he said.
Though well traveled and revered as a national American sage, Berry was a strong proponent of localism. He consistently called on Americans to turn to community and mutual help to address societal problems and conflicts.
He lamented the destruction of much of the rural way of life that he had seen take place over his lifetime, though he expressed optimism for its revitalization. Reflecting in 1988 on the potential “renewal of the rural communities” around the country, he wrote that such a renewal “would have to be a revival accomplished mainly by the community itself.”
“It would have to be done not from the outside by the instruction of visiting experts,” he wrote, “but from the inside by the ancient rule of neighborliness, by the love of precious things, and by the wish to be at home.”
Jerusalem Christian schools suspend classes for second time this year
Ahead of the new academic year, Christian schools in Jerusalem along with thousands of families are facing a renewed crisis after Israeli authorities failed to renew entry permits for approximately 70 teachers and staff members.
The situation prompted the schools to suspend classes beginning Tuesday, marking the second such decision this year. Classes were also suspended last January for the same reason.
In a statement, the schools said the measures were imposed suddenly and without prior notice, directly affecting their preparations for the beginning of the academic year.
They explained that the absence of so many employees affects not only classroom instruction but also administrative work, health and cleaning services, and security and safety procedures. As a result, the schools said they could not guarantee students a safe and stable start to the academic year.
The schools said they decided to suspend classes after consulting and coordinating with the relevant authorities, representatives of parents, and other Jerusalem schools. The suspension will remain in effect until the necessary permits for teachers and staff members are reissued or renewed.
They also warned that the recurrence of such measures undermines the stability of educational institutions and hinders their ability to fulfill their mission, while also affecting students, their families, school personnel, and the wider community.
The schools recalled that for centuries their institutions have carried out an educational and humanitarian mission and have formed an integral part of Jerusalem’s identity and its cultural and social fabric.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to providing high-quality education and forming generations grounded in knowledge, values, a sense of belonging, and responsibility.
Concluding their statement, the schools expressed hope that the crisis would be resolved quickly, allowing students and staff members to return to their schools and the academic year to proceed normally.
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.