Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel sees a resurgence with new shrine in Mexico City
As of this year, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a new site in Mexico City. On July 15, the old non-parochial church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was dedicated as an archdiocesan shrine, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the historic church.
In recent days, the church, located in the traditional San Ángel neighborhood on the city’s south side, has begun to welcome more visitors than usual. Every year on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16, hundreds of pilgrims are drawn to the shrine.
However, interest has gained new momentum since Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, primatial archbishop of Mexico, announced in May that the historic church would be elevated to a shrine.
Among those drawn by curiosity was Mariana Ledesma. Although she acknowledged that she is only just beginning to learn about this devotion to Our Lady under this title, she wanted to be part of a moment she considers historic.
“The shrine is beautiful and full of symbolism; seeing the devotion of the entire community, being able to share in that faith, is something truly beautiful. That is precisely the purpose of the shrine: to make it known to others as well,” she told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
4 centuries of history
The relationship between Mexico City and Our Lady of Mount Carmel dates back to 1585, when the first missionaries of the Discalced Carmelite order arrived in New Spain to assist in the work of evangelization.
In the early 17th century, they established one of their most important convents in San Ángel, from which they fostered contemplative life, spiritual formation, and devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a devotion that took deep root among the capitalʼs inhabitants.
For centuries, the church and convent served as an important religious and cultural center. However, following the Reform Laws of 1876, the old convent was nationalized and became state property.
Today, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church remains a place of Catholic worship while the former convent, after serving various purposes over the years, houses a museum.
After more than 400 years of tending to the church, this year the Discalced Carmelites handed over its administration to the Archdiocese of Mexico due to a decline in vocations within the order.
Mary, ‘strengthen my heart’
During the Mass of canonical dedication as a shrine, Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal, auxiliary bishop of Mexico, explained that the decision to elevate the church to a shrine reflects the fact that the faithful have long been making pilgrimages there to “seek solace and to come seeking the nourishment of the sacraments and the mercy of confession.”
“Let us hope that this [act] serves as an encouragement for many more people to return here to renew the consolation offered by the Virgin of Mount Carmel and their love for Jesus Christ,” he stated.
He also invited the faithful to turn to Mary during times of difficulty. He noted that when faith or hope “begin to fade,” it is necessary to turn one’s gaze toward Mary and say: “Most Holy Mother, you who were able to remain faithful even [standing] before your Son’s cross, strengthen my heart.”
Petitions to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The aisles of the shrine were filled with people holding scapulars, flowers, or photographs of their family members. Some came to give thanks for favors received; others sought to place their concerns in Maryʼs hands.
Among them was Claudio de la Paz, a devotee who traveled from the state of Campeche, over 500 miles away, to take part in the celebration. In addition to hoping the faithful will draw closer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he asked that young people be specially commended to her care, as he said they are currently going through “times of great vulnerability.”
For Rafael Estrada, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel “represents a quest for peace, serenity, and harmony.” Estrada urged Catholics to ask for Mary’s protection amid the tribulations Mexico is going through.
Sister Nina Ramos, a religious of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, invited the faithful to visit the new shrine and noted that those who fulfill the conditions established by the Church may obtain a plenary indulgence.
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.
Caritas Venezuela adds recovery component to ongoing relief efforts
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck the country, Caritas Venezuela, the social services arm of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, issued an updated bulletin in which it noted that, at this stage, “the immediate emergency begins to overlap with the first steps toward recovery.”
The organization continues to maintain field operations, particularly in the coastal city of La Guaira, where the destruction is overwhelming.
In total, Caritas Venezuela reported that it has received over 19,000 tons of aid, of which it has so far managed to distribute approximately nearly 16,000 tons, representing 84% of the total received. The remaining aid “remains in stock, ready for upcoming deliveries.”
Critical needs
Along with food and water, healthcare has become an urgent need for the communities affected by the disaster. In total, Caritas has dispatched 96,156 units of medical supplies and medicines, most of which are destined for hospitals and care centers operating under immense strain.
“In a healthcare system stretched by the magnitude of the disaster, every box of medicine that arrives on time sustains care for dozens of people,” Caritas explained.
Likewise, the organization highlighted the work of thousands of volunteers nationwide who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to receiving, sorting, packing, and distributing aid. Caritas estimated that around 10,000 people have joined volunteer efforts across all of Venezuela’s dioceses and parishes.
“They are teachers, young people, mothers, retirees, and neighbors who decided that the suffering of others is their own as well. They are, without exaggeration, the heart of this response,” the organization noted.
The clergy have also been present at every collection center, at every distribution point, and in every camp across the affected cities.
They have engaged in relief efforts “through prayer and action.” According to the bulletin, the greatest help provided by bishops, priests, and religious has been taking the time to listen to and be there for those grieving the loss of loved ones and to console those left homeless.
What lies ahead?
Cáritas Venezuela noted that the 3,095 tons of humanitarian aid still available will allow them to “continue responding” but stated that “the emergency is far from over.”
“Thousands of families remain in temporary camps, and many others will not be able to return to their homes. In the coming weeks, the operation will shift from immediate assistance to the recovery of those who lost everything — a long process that will require sustained solidarity over time,” the organization explained.
When the camera crews depart and the news media turns to covering other events, “the need remains. That’s why we reiterate our call to continue making contributions through official channels and to keep moving forward together,” the organization emphasized.
“Monetary donations are the most efficient, as they allow us to procure exactly what is needed at any given moment directly from the field,” Caritas advised.
The official death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela now stands at over 5,200. Tens of thousands of other people have been injured and have lost their homes in Caracas, La Guaira, El Junquito, and other cities across the country.
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 relief agencies mobilize across Asia as storms trigger widespread humanitarian need
Catholic aid groups in Bangladesh and China are responding to severe midsummer storms, with Caritas Bangladesh coordinating relief in dioceses hit by early‑July monsoon flooding and Jinde Charities delivering assistance on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses after flash floods and tornadoes.
Caritas Bangladesh is collaborating with local partners in dioceses affected by monsoon rains and flooding that swept the country in early July.
Caritas disaster relief efforts have been underway after the July 5–9 flooding, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people in Bangladesh, according to a July 10 press release from the aid organization. “More than 241,000 people have been affected. Among them are more than 7,400 Rohingya refugees living in 25 camps severely affected by floods and landslides,” Caritas said.
The rainfall has impacted Bangladesh’s Chattogram Division, including the districts of Bandarban, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, and Chattogram.
“Caritas Bangladesh has mobilized local staff and community volunteers, who went from door to door sharing early warning messages and helping families living in high-risk areas move to safety before the worst of the rains arrived,” the aid organization said.
“This latest disaster comes on top of a protracted humanitarian crisis,” the press release continued. “As humanitarian funding continues to decline, many Rohingya families face growing food insecurity, reduced access to essential services and fewer opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity. The floods are a reminder that sustained international solidarity remains essential.”
Catholics in China distribute aid after flooding
The government-registered Catholic relief organization Jinde Charities has been acting on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses to deliver humanitarian assistance in the wake of flash floods and tornadoes.
According to a July 18 press release on the organization’s website, Jinde Charities is collaborating with local partners and traveling to Shuangfeng Village, Sanli Town, Qintang District, Guigang City, Guangxi, to deliver food aid to disaster-affected villagers.
Jinde noted in an earlier release that as of July 13, about 827,000 people have been affected by the disaster in Guigang City. In addition to food aid, Jinde has distributed tools such as chainsaws, shovels, wheelbarrows, bamboo brooms, and other supplies. Fides News Agency, a Vatican news service, reported that many Catholic families in Guigang have been left without running water and electricity.
Mount Cristo Rey bill seeks to block federal land seizure
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D‑Texas, introduced legislation to bar the government from taking Mount Cristo Rey by eminent domain as it seeks diocesan land for border fencing.
The legislation (H.R. 9739) follows the Trump administration’s move to seize about 14 acres of land surrounding the base of Mount Cristo Rey — a prominent mountain in Sunland Park, New Mexico, overlooking the Texas and Mexico borders.
If enacted, the bill would recognize Mount Cristo Rey as a holy site and prohibit the use of federal funds to litigate against the Diocese of Las Cruces in its lawsuit challenging the federal attempt to seize the land.
It also would prohibit federal funds from being used “to construct, install, operate, or maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, or related structures” on or near the mountain, according to the bill, which lacks co-sponsors.
"Rather than working with border communities to advance effective border security, the Trump Administration continues to disregard the people, history, and culture that make our region special,” Escobar said in a press release.
“Mount Cristo Rey is a religious and cultural landmark that has been central to our community for generations," she said.
Owned by the Diocese of Las Cruces, Mount Cristo Rey welcomes visitors each year to the small mountain that houses a nearly-century-old statue of Jesus Christ that has been a pilgrimage site for decades.
The diocese has said that the government’s proposed border security at the base of the mountain would negatively affect pilgrims coming to the site.
Escobar’s legislation says: "The Federal Government’s attempt to seize the land around Mount Cristo Rey for the purposes of border wall construction infringes upon the religious liberty of the Catholic Church and all visitors to the holy site.”
Support from Catholic border bishops
The bill has received support from border bishops including Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas.
In a press release, Seitz said he will “support this bill which would call the federal government to set aside a heavy-handed abuse of power against this sacred place.”
“For the federal government to forcefully take this holy ground to build a tall barrier topped with razor wire would represent an overreach on the part of the government and create a sign that speaks, not of mutual respect and love, but of separation and rejection,” Seitz said.
“I am confident that through negotiation with the rightful owners of the property, the Church of Las Cruces, solutions can be found to provide for the deterrence of unauthorized entry into this country while at the same time preserving the integrity of Mount Cristo Rey,” Seitz said.
“For generations, the faithful from the cities, farms and villages of the borderland have climbed Mount Cristo Rey and united as a single community for prayer and celebration at the feet of Christ the King,” Baldacchino said.
Baldacchino previously defended the sanctuary “and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God” during the ongoing dispute by climbing Mount Cristo Rey and celebrating Mass at the mountain’s peak on June 28.
"In a world fractured by political, racial and economic divisions, Mount Cristo Rey stands out as both a powerful symbol of hope and peace and a literal pathway to unity,” he said in the press release.
Catholic religious sisters share global ministry with Queen Camilla in landmark meeting
Queen Camilla responded with “deep admiration” after listening to the stories of Catholic religious sisters working with vulnerable women and girls around the world in a landmark meeting on July 15 at Clarence House in London.
Representatives of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) met with the queen to share the impact of their work over the past year, with a particular focus on advancing dignity, protection, and opportunities for vulnerable women and girls.
Anabel Inge, MVO, charge’ d’affaires ad interim of the British Embassy to the Holy See, commented on the impact of the stories on Queen Camilla at the meeting.
“What struck me was how engaged Her Majesty was throughout the conversation,” Inge told EWTN News. “Many of the themes discussed clearly resonated. Her Majesty has consistently highlighted the importance of supporting women and girls, and this was a major focus.”
The meeting with the queen included conversations about efforts to accompany migrant women and strengthen communities in the U.K., education initiatives supporting children affected by conflict in Lebanon, antihuman trafficking work in Asia, and programs helping vulnerable women build livelihoods and improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Commenting on the meeting in a press release, the UISG said: “Her Majesty expressed deep admiration and humility regarding the global work Catholic sisters do to aid vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls.”
“This renewed exchange underlined the strong alignment between the mission of Catholic sisters and Her Majesty’s long-standing commitment to supporting women and girls.”
Sisters from a range of ministries around the world joined in the meeting with Queen Camilla at Clarence House, including Sister Lynne Baron, FCJ, area leader of the Sisters Faithful Companions of Jesus in Britain and archbishop’s delegate for Catholic social action in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
Baron was joined by Sister Roxanne Schares, SSND, executive secretary of UISG; Sister Maamalifar M. Poreku, MSOLA, co-executive secretary of the UISG-USG Commission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation; and Sister Abby Avelino, MM, international coordinator of Talitha Kum.
Avelino drew attention to the Young Ambassadors Against Human Trafficking Programme, initially supported by the U.K. government and now expanded globally, which equips young people with the tools to identify risks, raise awareness, and lead peer-based prevention in their communities.
Describing young people as “protagonists of change,’” Avelino said: “In many countries, they are helping to build a culture of prevention, supporting their peers in recognizing the risks of exploitation and trafficking, and promoting a vision of society rooted in dignity, freedom, and solidarity.”
The meeting between the sisters and the queen came nine months after King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 in a historic ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. The prayer service marked the first time an English sovereign had prayed with a pope in 500 years.
“The meeting during Their Majesties’ state visit to the Holy See in 2025 reflected the long-standing and positive relationship between the Crown and the Holy See,” Inge said.
Inge hailed the latest meeting with the queen as “a valuable opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contribution sisters make around the world, particularly in supporting women and girls affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and exploitation.”
She added: “What is distinctive about the sisters‘ contribution is that they are deeply embedded in the communities they serve. The tea was an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of that service, and the sisters’ personal stories helped to bring these important issues to life.”
A royal family post on X highlighted the visit with the sisters: “The Queen hosted Sisters from the International Union of Superiors General (IUSG) who shared the impact of their global work, particularly in support of vulnerable women and girls … The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on the work of the Sisters to support women living in conditions of conflict, poverty, and displacement across the world.”
Trial opens for Australian bishop accused of abusing young aboriginal men
The trial of an Australian bishop opened this week in the District Court of Western Australia in Perth, where the 76-year-old faces 26 charges of sexual offenses against three young aboriginal men.
Bishop Christopher Saunders led the remote Diocese of Broome in Australia’s northwest from 1996 until his resignation in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which range from indecent assault to sexual penetration without consent, reported the West Australian newspaper.
The incidents allegedly took place between 2008 and 2017, while he was bishop. Saunders has consistently maintained his innocence.
In his opening address, state prosecutor Adam Ebell alleged that Saunders hosted parties for young aboriginal men at Church-owned properties across the Kimberley region, using what he described as a “seemingly endless supply of alcohol and cigarettes” purchased with Church funds, according to Australian court reporting by the ABC and WAtoday.
The court heard that the first complainant was 16 when he met Saunders and that the bishop allegedly groomed him with gifts before abusing him at properties including the bishop’s residence in Broome, a hotel in Kununurra, and the Kalumburu Mission until the young man turned 19. The three complainants are now in their early 30s.
Former diocesan employees are expected to testify, as is Bishop Michael Morrissey of Geraldton, who served as apostolic administrator of Broome after Saunders’ resignation.
Saunders stepped aside from governance of the diocese in 2020 after police opened an investigation.
A Vatican-ordered inquiry under Vos Estis Lux Mundi — the first in Australia — produced a 200-page report that was leaked in 2023 and handed to police, leading to his arrest in February 2024.
Saunders was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Broome in 1976. He was born in Melbourne. In 1989, he became the diocesan administrator and was consecrated as the bishop of Broome in 1996.
Pope Leo XIV urges peace and nuclear disarmament in new book foreword
Pope Leo XIV has written a foreword to a new book, calling for peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Originally published by Vatican News, the pontiff’s text is part of the new book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” published by the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana) in Italian on July 21. Edited by Alessandro Banfi, the book is a collection of Leo XIV’s addresses and reflections on peace since his election to the papacy in 2025.
The pope also invoked in his foreword American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan as well as Servants of God Dorothy Day, Floribert Bwana Chui, and Giorgio La Pira.
War is an adventure with no return
Leo began the foreword with what had been his first words as pontiff, proclaimed from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Peace be with you.” He explained the theological significance of those words, spoken by Christ after his resurrection, and decried the modern tendency for war.
“This was also the first gift the risen Christ offered to his friends and to the whole world: peace,” Leo wrote. “That gift, however, did not come ‘cheap.’”
“Today, a good 103 states are involved in some way in a war on Earth. Weapons boom and kill in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Sudan, in Myanmar, in Yemen, in Congo, and in many other situations.”
He also referred to his predecessors Pope Francis and Sts. Paul VI and John Paul II, who also called for peace and nuclear disarmament:
“Especially after the terrible consequences of the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the recourse to war is ever more an ‘adventure with no return,’ as St. John Paul II stressed.”
Invoking Bob Dylan: ‘Man-owned an’ man-handled’
In his foreword, the pope referenced American singer Bob Dylan, who criticized the manufacture of nuclear bombs during the Cold War in his 1963 song “Go Away You Bomb.”
“As singer-songwriter and poet Bob Dylan wrote, figuratively addressing the atomic bomb, in one of his poetic compositions: ‘I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned an’ man-handled,‘” Leo said.
The pope also explained that the threat of nuclear catastrophe looms large unless action is taken.
“History has already seen us come close to nuclear catastrophe.”
“A world in which machines, albeit sophisticated and faster than us, are the ones to decide to bomb defenseless people would be truly frightening,” Leo wrote.
Criticism of the U.S.-Iran war
Leo’s new foreword is emblematic of his stance on peace and nuclear disarmament, including with regard to the U.S.-Iran war.
Pope Leo and other Church officials have criticized the U.S. government under President Donald Trump for attacking Iran. In response, Trump claimed on May 4 that the pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Leo denied Trump’s accusation that he supported nuclear weapons, stating to journalists at Castel Gandolfo on May 6 that “the Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons.”
An English edition of the book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift” will be published in the coming months.
Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism expands to college campuses
The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA) will soon launch its first college chapter at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
The chapter, set to start in the fall, marks continued growth for the coalition, founded in October 2023 at a Franciscan University conference on “Nostra Aetate and the Future of Catholic‑Jewish Relations at a Time of Rising Antisemitism.”
“The CCAA is proud that Franciscan University serves as the founding Catholic home of the coalition,” Simone Rizkallah, founding member of CCAA and manager of Jewish-Christian partnerships at Tikvah, an influential Jewish think tank, told EWTN News.
She said CCAA is open to adding more chapters at other colleges and universities, to the extent student leaders elsewhere also take the initiative to do so.
“The launch of this new campus chapter is a sign of hope, born from the initiative of two Gen Z students: one, a former antisemite, whose perspective was transformed through friendship with the other, a Catholic Zionist,” she said. “Their story is a powerful witness to the possibility of conversion, dialogue, and authentic friendship.”
Colin Reitmeyer, president of CCAAʼs Franciscan University chapter, told EWTN News the chapter’s goals for the new academic year include starting conversations “with those under the sway of antisemitic propaganda, leading them to rethink their deeply flawed ideology.”
“We seek to befriend them, help them see why their ideology is flawed, and help them better embrace the Churchʼs position on the Jewish people,” Reitmeyer said.
He said the chapter also aims to “spread awareness to unaware students about the rise of antisemetism and how they can combat it” as well as foster greater appreciation of Jewish culture. This latter goal, he explained, involves “going beyond merely stopping antisemitism and cultivating philosemitism.”
Curt Stambaugh, an associate scholar at Franciscan University’s Veritas Center for Catholic Ethics in Public Life, will serve as the chapter’s sponsor.
Stambaugh traced the impetus for the organization of the chapter back to a campus debate on U.S.-Israeli relations. Students directed questions to him during the session, where he met Reitmeyer and learned students wanted a grassroots group to counter antisemitism.
Bishop Barres, Catholic sisters sue New York over assisted suicide mandates
Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, and four communities of religious sisters have filed a lawsuit against New York’s attorney general and commissioner of health over a law they say would force them to participate in the process of physician-assisted suicide.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre and the religious communities — the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor — provide care for elderly and terminally ill people and say their Catholic faith prohibits them from participation in the process in any way.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide in February, and the law goes into effect in August. Although some facilities can opt out of parts of the physician‑assisted suicide process, the exemptions are limited, and the law imposes additional requirements on the diocese and religious communities.
“We will never submit to New York’s culture of death,” Barres said in a statement through his attorneys at the Becket Fund.
“Assisted suicide is a grave moral failure that puts the elderly, the disabled, and those suffering from mental and emotional illness at risk of abuse and manipulation,” the bishop said. “Christ the Divine Physician calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not abandon them to death. The court should protect that millennia-old mission.”
The New York attorney general’s office and Department of Health did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Requirements in the law
More than a dozen states have legalized physician-assisted suicide over the past two decades, but New York’s opt-out policy “is among the narrowest in the nation,” according to the lawsuit, and it affects some of the religious communities differently.
While most of the Catholic-run facilities qualify for the narrow “opt outs,” those that qualify must still follow existing laws to offer counseling to terminally ill patients that explains various options for end-of-life care, along with the “risks and benefits” of their options, or refer them to someone who will.
According to the lawsuit, this will now apply to the “option” of physician-assisted suicide, which means nurse practitioners or physicians “must either counsel terminal patients about the availability and benefits of [physician-assisted suicide] or else help the patient find a provider who is willing do so.”
Physicians covered by the opt outs must also assist in determining whether patients qualify for assisted suicide through actions such as referring them for mental health evaluations. Facilities covered by the opt outs — if they refuse to directly participate in the suicide itself — must refer the patient to a facility that will administer it, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further states that providers must sign a death certificate that says the patient died from his or her underlying condition rather than the drugs that ended his or her life. It states that facilities may also not be able to take adverse employment actions against employees who act in accordance with New York’s physician-assisted suicide law, even if the facility prohibits it.
At least one facility — the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict — is not covered by the opt outs, which means it must also allow the prescription and the ingestion of the suicide drugs on its property. Those that qualify for the opt out are exempted from this requirement.
Adele Keim, senior counsel at Becket, told EWTN News the law essentially requires all the facilities to “take [the patients] through the process” and “allow that very involved process to take place in their facilities.”
“[They] will not do that,” she said, explaining that it violates their religious beliefs.
First Amendment objections
Keim said Catholic sisters have offered end-of-life care to New Yorkers for more than 100 years, “providing that personal accompaniment, which, in Catholic teaching, is rooted in the example of Mary sitting at the foot of the cross as Jesus died.”
“That’s what they believe they’re called to do,” she said. “... [They are] bearing witness to the distinctly Catholic response to the suffering people experience in their final days."
Sister Justyna Owsiejko, OSB, of the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, said in a statement through Becket that “we are simple nuns whose mission is to serve God — and we do that by offering the aged a home in which to live their final days in peace, tranquility, and comfort, cared for by sisters who see the face of Christ in each person they serve.”
“New York is trying to force us to abandon that vocation and help our residents commit suicide,” she said. “That is something we will never do. Our foundress overcame war and exile to serve those in need — we will overcome this law to do the same.”
Mother Alice Marie Monica of the Little Sisters of the Poor said in a statement that “we have served God by welcoming the elderly poor and dying into our homes for nearly 200 years.”
“Our calling is to protect and care for needy seniors, not steer them toward suicide,” she said. “We will remain true to that mission, whatever the cost.”
The lawsuit argues that forcing Catholic-run facilities to participate in physician-assisted suicide violates their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. The Church teaches that life must be protected from conception until natural death.
The suit also argues that the law violates their freedom of speech by compelling them to counsel their patients about physician-assisted suicide.
“The sisters’ Catholic faith leads them to accept death as the natural end to a life well lived: neither artificially prolonging it through burdensome technological and medical interventions that provide no reasonable benefit, nor artificially hastening it,” the lawsuit states.
“Above all,” the lawsuit adds, “it means that the sisters seek to personally provide a loving human presence alongside each person — bearing witness to the ending of a uniquely beautiful and unrepeatable life.”
U.S. bishops demand justice and transparency following migrant deaths in ICE custody
U.S. Bishops Daniel E. García and Brendan J. Cahill lamented the deaths of migrants that occurred during recent immigration enforcement operations and called for “accountability, transparency, and justice.”
García, chair of the Subcommittee on the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Cahill, chair of the Committee on Migration, issued a pastoral reflection following “several recent immigration enforcement encounters resulting in the loss of life.”
In Houston on July 7, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araújo during an operation. On July 13, Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero died after being shot by a federal agent in Maine.
In both cases, the U.S. government maintains that the agents acted in self-defense.
In their joint reflection, the prelates said that Catholics “grieve all situations where human life is brought to an unnatural end.”
“This is a core teaching of our faith and one we can never grow weary of proclaiming as disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” they noted.
The bishops recalled the statement issued by the USCCB in November 2025 in which the American bishops expressed concern regarding the “climate of fear and anxiety” they observed among the population “around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”
“Racial profiling in particular not only violates God-given dignity but also inflicts profound harm on individuals, families, and communities by fostering fear, eroding trust, and increasing the risk of unjust and even tragic outcomes. Our pastoral concerns are distinct from what the civil law itself may permit,” the two bishops stated.
Likewise, they warned that “acts that diminish or disregard the dignity of any person or group of people should never be normalized in our society.”
“The dehumanization of immigrants, regardless of their legal status, is one such example of this; the vilification of law enforcement officers is yet another," they noted.
The bishops recalled that the authorities must “apply the law in a humane manner and with respect for fundamental human rights,” exercising state power “always within the limits of the moral law.”
“To that end, we call for accountability, transparency, and justice, which require that meaningful reforms be made to our immigration system,” they stated in their pastoral reflection.
“We join in praying for the souls of those killed and for their families,” they declared, “for our nation, and for all those entrusted with the duties of public service. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric, racial prejudice, and violence and for a renewed commitment to recognizing the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God.”
On June 25, the Human Rights Watch organization published a 73-page report in which it charged that, so far during President Donald Trumpʼs administration, “52 people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the United States.” The document lists among the causes “poor detention conditions and lack of adequate medical care.”
Added to these is the death on July 13 of 45-year-old Venezuelan Jesús Manuel Arias-Silva. According to an ICE statement, the migrant was detained on Thursday, July 9, and died “while being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia.”
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.