Archdiocese of Baltimore insurer proposes $100 million settlement for abuse victims
An insurer for the Archdiocese of Baltimore has offered to contribute $100 million to a settlement for abuse victims there, the latest development in the archdiocese’s yearslong bankruptcy proceedings related to Church sexual abuse.
Court documents obtained by EWTN News show that the Hartford Insurance Group proposed the nine-figure payment in an April 3 filing in U.S. bankruptcy court.
The archdiocese originally filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 amid the threat of a wave of clerical abuse lawsuits. The filing was made ahead of the Maryland Child Victims Act taking effect in October of that year. That law ended the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits for negligence in relation to child sexual abuse.
The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2024 the archdiocese sued multiple insurers over what it claimed was a failure to pay abuse claims for which the insurers were contractually obligated.
Also in 2024, the archdiocese said it would close more than half of the parishes in its titular city, reducing 61 parishes to 23 in response to a plummeting population there.
Archbishop William Lori said the plan would allow the remaining Catholic churches to “focus on mission and ministry, as opposed to leaking roofs, crumbling walls, and failing electrical and plumbing systems.”
Insurance is often a “huge component” of clerical abuse payouts, though dioceses and archdioceses have several means by which they can fund settlements.
Dioceses will very often turn to local parishes to pay into settlement funds, usually stipulating certain percentages of cash reserves that parishes must contribute.
Property sales and contributions from affiliate organizations such as cemeteries often help to bolster a settlement fund as well.
Marie Reilly, a professor of law at Penn State University and an expert in bankruptcy litigation, including Catholic diocesan bankruptcy proceedings, told EWTN News in 2025 that starting in the 1990s, insurance companies mostly changed how they cover sexual abuse.
“Up until about the mid-’90s, a general liability policy used to include coverages for employee liability,” she said. “It would cover sex abuse claims against the diocese stemming from an employee’s abuse.”
“After 1996, insurance policies issued under new revised standards just don’t provide that coverage anymore,” she said.
Father Petri breaks down Pope Leo XIV’s Easter message, warns of ‘indifference’ to violence, war
Father Thomas Petri, OP, a Dominican theologian, reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace in the Holy Father’s first Easter message to the faithful and warned against showing “indifference” toward violence.
“During his urbi et orbi message [on Easter], he mentioned the globalization of indifference, the indifference that we have, even good Christians and good Catholics have to violence,” Petri told anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 6 interview on “EWTN News Nightly.”
“We’ve been desensitized to it,” he said. “But if Christ has shown us anything, it is that power, the all-powerful God, wins the battle against sin and death not by violence or defeating it in some grand gesture of war against evil. Rather, he abandons himself, he gives himself in service, he dies for it, and then he rises for it without losing an ounce of his dignity, an ounce of his power.”
In his Easter message to the faithful, Leo reflected on the resurrection of Christ, saying Easter is “the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred.”
He said: “The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent” and compared it to “a human heart, which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense.”
Leo called the Resurrection “the beginning of a new humanity” and “the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is love, life, and light.”
“We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent,” the pope said. “Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel.”
Petri said during the interview that the Holy Father “challenged us to live in that sort of same grace, not to be disturbed by the problems of the world, but at the same time not to be indifferent to them, that we can coexist in peace and serenity and at the same time still be troubled and upset and concerned about what we see, not only in our own sinfulness and in our own lives, but in the Church and in the world.”
Pope urges laying weapons down
Petri also discussed Leo’s direct call for peace on Easter, in which the Holy Father said: “Let those who have weapons lay them down” and “let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace; not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue!”
In the interview, Petri said: “It might be easy to dismiss” Leo’s call for peace, because “popes always call for peace,” but he warned against downplaying the Holy Father’s role to simply being “a moral figure” and “a great teacher.”
“He is, in fact, we believe, the vicar of Christ on Earth,” Petri said. “And the teachings of the Church, the teachings of Jesus Christ himself, in fact, argue and maintain that peace and nonviolence is ultimately the way to everlasting peace.”
“Only in the grace of Jesus Christ will we find justice, peace, and forgiveness and love all coexisting and living in one reality,” Petri said. “And so this vigil for peace is certainly important and certainly it’s significant that the pope has called for it, but it’s also a real pleading, not simply that people will lay down arms and be peaceful with each other, although it is that, but that God himself will give peace to the world that is so desperately in need of it.”
Leo’s call for peace comes as President Donald Trump said he plans to escalate the conflict in Iran. The president said in a Truth Social post on Easter that April 7 “will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day” while using profanities to demand Iran open the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump doubled down on April 7, threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” in a separate Truth Social post.
‘From chaos into new life’: Pakistan’s largest diocese installs new archbishop
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Capuchin Franciscan friar has been installed as archbishop of Lahore, assuming leadership of Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese after a turbulent period marked by the removal of his predecessor.
Archbishop Khalid Rehmat, OFM Cap, 57, was installed as head of the Archdiocese of Lahore on March 28 in a ceremony that acknowledged a period of “particular difficulties and challenges” following the removal of Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, in August 2024 — an unprecedented development in the country’s Catholic history.
During the liturgy, Vicar General Father Asif Sardar read the Urdu translation of the papal bull, which referenced the trials faced by Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese, home to an estimated 577,000 faithful.
“We devote all our energies to the governance of the ship of the Church, which for different reasons is sometimes assailed by waves, requiring the guidance of both ourselves and the devoted pastors appointed by us. For this reason, we have turned our attention to the metropolitan see of Lahore,” he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV.
The remarks were widely interpreted as an indirect reference to Shaw, who was appointed apostolic vicar of Quetta and installed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on March 24. Prior to that, he had been residing at the Franciscan Friars Minor house in Karachi while on what Church authorities described as a sabbatical.
Allegations against Shaw
Shaw has faced multiple allegations in recent years, including claims of financial mismanagement and misconduct involving Church funds and properties, circulated in media reports and on social media.
In 2017, he drew criticism for allowing a political address by Maryam Nawaz, now chief minister of Punjab, at Sacred Heart Cathedral during an election campaign.
Further controversy emerged in 2021 when a Christian activist shared on social media photographs and documents alleging irregular land transactions linked to Shaw. He declined to comment on the claims when contacted by EWTN News.
In 2022, additional allegations regarding personal conduct surfaced from a suspended priest, though archdiocesan officials dismissed them as unfounded.
Several Catholics, including a former Caritas Pakistan official, had previously submitted complaints to the Vatican concerning alleged abuse of authority and financial impropriety.
‘Things seem to have settled down’
Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, who served as apostolic administrator of Lahore during the transition, drew light laughter from the congregation when he remarked that “things seem to have settled down,” noting a decline in complaints reaching the apostolic nunciature.
Archbishop Germano Penemote, the apostolic nuncio to Pakistan, thanked Travas for his stewardship during what he described as a turbulent period.
“The Church in Lahore is invited to experience this moment as a true resurrection — to emerge from chaos into new life, stepping out from the shadows into the radiant light of the risen Lord,” he said, addressing the faithful on the eve of Palm Sunday.
Catholic lay leaders say the path forward will require structural and cultural renewal.
Shahid Rehmat, executive director of the Youth Development Foundation, emphasized the need for greater accountability and transparency within Church leadership.
“The internet has changed the world. Young people are no longer dependent on, nor can they be controlled by, Church leaders,” he told EWTN News, urging authorities to make public the findings of any inquiry into Shaw’s tenure.
“Transparency will help restore trust among the faithful and strengthen the credibility of the new leadership. Christian activists — many formed within Church institutions — have often been labeled disloyal. Recognizing their role could support the Church’s mission for justice and peace,” he added.
Rehmat, a former diocesan coordinator of Catholic Youth Ministry of the Lahore Archdiocese, also expressed cautious optimism about the new archbishop’s leadership.
“He is well known in Quetta and has the potential to make the Church more accessible and outward-looking, while strengthening its struggling commissions,” he said.
Irish childhood shaped Father Flanagan’s lifelong work with youth
A loving Catholic family at home in Ireland provided the foundations and values that led Venerable Father Edward Flanagan to establish Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, according to experts on his life in Ireland.
Flanagan, who was born and raised in the small village of Ballymoe, Ireland, before emigrating to the United States, was declared venerable on March 23 by Pope Leo XIV.
Fidelma and Alan Croghan of the Father Flanagan Group in Ballymoe provided insight into the Irish priest’s formative years to EWTN News. “He was the fourth-youngest of 11 children. His father was a herdsman looking after an absentee landlord’s livestock on the estate. They lived in a cottage here at Leabeg,” Fidelma said.
“From birth Father Flanagan’s life was bathed in the warm embrace of a loving family. On the night he was born, they didn’t think that he would survive because he was quite ill. He was a very sickly person all of his life in terms of bad lung health. The story goes that his grandparents also lived in the house with them. So the grandfather took the tiny newborn baby and put the baby skin to skin, against his own heart for the night, and Eddie survived.”
Fidelma shared that from the moment of his birth, Flanagan “knew love and the loving bond of a family; he had a very happy upbringing. Their home was full of music and happiness, neighbors came in and they played music and danced on the stone flagstones of the kitchen floor before a big open fire.”
She added: “He worked with his dad as a shepherd boy tending to the sheep. He was into prayer and reading from a young age, and he wrote about going out on the land with his rosary beads and reading Dickens.”
Following primary education at the nearby Drumatemple National School, Flanagan attended the Diocesan College of the Immaculate Conception, Summerhill College, Sligo, to complete his secondary education and prepare for life as a priest.
Alan Croghan said he has no doubt that the future priest’s upbringing and the family values he espoused throughout his life were formed by his origins and his upbringing in Ireland.
“Our purpose in Ireland here is to educate people and tell them about this man, going on to America to do what he did in Boys Town. He took what he learned here in Ballymoe, how a family should be run,” he said.
Bishop Kevin Doran of Achonry and of Elphin told EWTN News: “Father Flanagan’s life and virtue have much to say to us today, in a wealthy country where so many children are forced to live with homelessness, and in a world in which we still find it so easy to define people as ‘hostile aliens.’”
Boys Town families and descendants often visit Ballymoe and the Father Flanagan Visitor Centre to see the famous priest’s hometown. Fidelma Croghan said: “We had a woman come two or three years ago, and she knelt on the floor of the house, and she cried, and cried, and cried, and said, ‘Only Father Flanagan saved my father; I wouldn’t be here.’ Another visitor told me: ‘I would have been dead as a young man, or would have spent my life in jail, only for Boys Town.’”
If Flanagan’s experiences growing up in Ireland shaped his compassionate approach to the social issues he encountered in Nebraska, his experiences there dealing with troubled boys and young men subsequently influenced his reactions during a return trip to Ireland in 1946, when he visited the country’s reform schools.
He was profoundly troubled at the desperately poor conditions and treatment they encountered. Speaking about the schools in Cork, he told the audience: “You are the people who permit your children and the children of your communities to go into these institutions of punishment. You can do something about it.” He described his country’s penal institutions as “a disgrace to the nation.”
Flanagan had received letters from Ireland drawing attention to the brutal regimes in these schools and wanted to see for himself how bad conditions really were.
In response to his prophetic warnings, the Irish government minister for justice at the time, Gerald Boland, told the Dáil (Irish legislative chamber) “that he was ‘not disposed to take any notice of what Monsignor Flanagan said while he was in this country, because his statements were so exaggerated that I did not think people would attach any importance to them.’”
The schools Flanagan visited included Artane and Letterfrack, institutions that became notorious after the truth of the abuses inflicted on students there eventually emerged.
EWTN News explains: When does Easter officially end?
Catholics recognize Easter — when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after sacrificing his life for all of humanity — as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But, as it turns out, they can continue saying “Happy Easter” into May or, in some years, into June.
Easter lasts for a total of 50 days, from Easter Sunday until the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Christ.
This year, 2026, Easter was on April 5 and runs until Pentecost Sunday, May 24.
Easter explained
Catholics observe Easter in different stages.
Easter Sunday is the greatest Sunday of the year, and it marks the start of the “Easter octave,” or the eight days that stretch from the first to the second Sunday of Easter (also now known as Divine Mercy Sunday). The Church celebrates each of these eight days as solemnities of the Lord — a direct extension of Easter Sunday.
The entire Easter season lasts 50 days and includes the solemnity of the Ascension of Christ, which falls on the 40th day of Easter, which this year is celebrated on either Thursday, May 14, or Sunday, May 17, depending on where you live, and ends with Pentecost, which is derived from the Greek word “pentecoste,” meaning “50th.”
“The 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one ‘great Sunday,’” according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “These are the days above all others in which the ‘Alleluia’ is sung.”
The USCCB calls Easter “the most important of all liturgical times.”
“It celebrates Jesus’ victory of sin and death and salvation for mankind,” the U.S. bishops say. “It is God’s greatest act of love to redeem mankind.”
In the traditional Roman rite
In the traditional form of the Roman rite, Easter is known properly as Paschaltide, which includes three parts: the season of Easter, Ascensiontide, and the octave of Pentecost. It thus lasts one week longer than the Easter season in the calendar of the missal of St. Paul VI.
The season of Easter begins with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and runs through the afternoon of the vigil of the Ascension.
Ascensiontide begins the evening before the Ascension, with first vespers of the feast, and ends the afternoon of the vigil of Pentecost — marking the first novena.
The octave of Pentecost is an extension of the feast of Pentecost, beginning with the vigil Mass of Pentecost and ending the afternoon of the following Saturday, which this year falls on May 30.
This story was first published April 21, 2022, and has been updated.
Congressmen renew push to make Easter Monday a federal holiday
Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, is once more calling on Congress to pass his bill to enshrine Easter Monday as a federal holiday.
“In just seven years, we mark the 2,000th anniversary of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That milestone will be one of the most significant moments in the history of the world. We should be preparing for it,” Moore wrote in an April 6 social media thread.
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The post comes a year after Moore, alongside Sen. Eric Schmitt, introduced legislation that would make the day after Easter Sunday a federal holiday. No hearings have been held on the House and Senate measures, which have been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Senate Judiciary Committee respectively.
“More than 80% of Americans — Democrats and Republicans — celebrate Easter,” Moore said. “Most other Western nations already observe Easter Monday as a public holiday. The U.S. is the outlier. It’s time to fix that.”
Moore also pointed out the “practical benefits” of the bill, which he named the Easter Monday Act, saying it would give families who travel for Easter “the breathing room to be fully present — with their relatives, in their churches, and at their dinner tables” rather than having “to rush home Sunday night to make it to work Monday morning.”
“Just as Christ continued appearing to his apostles for 40 days after his resurrection, our celebration of Easter should not end at the strike of midnight,” he said. “Easter Monday is an invitation to carry the meaning of Easter into our daily lives — and into the public life of our nation, which has been gripped by a culture of death for far too long.”
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch responded to Moore’s post, writing: “It’s actually quite shocking Easter has never been a national holiday, owing only to the fact that it’s always on a Sunday.”
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“For all the reasons here, including the fact that our civilizational identity would be greatly enhanced, I hope this is given serious consideration,” Burch said.
Schmitt also called for passage, writing on social media: “Christ is risen. Today of all days, we should be focused on celebrating and not the work week ahead. Let’s make a federal holiday to celebrate Easter.”
Good Friday
While Good Friday is not a federal holiday, state offices in 16 states mark the day by early- or all-day closure, including Connecticut, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, according to the Library of Congress.
So far, there have been no legislative efforts to make Good Friday a federal holiday in the U.S.
Good Friday is a public holiday in many countries around the world, including Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, according to Time and Date.
Defense Secretary Hegseth removes top Army chaplain amid Iran war, chaplaincy reform
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed the head of the Army’s chaplain corps and two other generals during Holy Week as he navigates the ongoing conflict with Iran and continues reforms of the chaplaincy.
Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., who belongs to the National Baptist Convention, began serving as chief of chaplains for the Army on June 20, 2023, and was formally appointed to the position on Dec. 5, 2023. He was the third Black American to hold the position.
Green was formally removed on April 2, 2026, three days before Easter. A Defense Department official confirmed his removal with EWTN News but did not offer a reason for his removal. No reason has been publicly stated, and Green has not publicly commented on his removal.
The Rev. Razz Waff, executive director of the Military Chaplains Association, told EWTN News that Green’s removal is “unprecedented,” noting that chiefs are appointed to “four-year statutory, written-in-law terms.”
“Really, there should be a for-cause reason, and in this case there is no for-cause reason,” Waff said, adding that he believes Green “was doing an absolutely great job.”
With the conflict in Iran ongoing, Waff said “changing senior leaders is always a little risky.” He said the stable leadership provided by Green “will be missed” but that “Army senior chaplains will meet the challenge — I’m sure of that.”
The removal of Green — and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Transformation and Training Command Commanding Gen. David M. Hodne — comes more than a month after President Donald Trump began military attacks on Iran. Over the past 14 months, Hegseth has removed more than a dozen senior military officials.
It’s unclear whether Green’s removal is related to Iran policy, whether it is related to Hegseth’s broader efforts to reform the chaplaincy, or whether the reason is entirely different.
In mid-2025, Green introduced “The Army Spiritual Fitness Guide,” which Hegseth scrapped in December. At the time, Hegseth said the guide promoted “secular humanism,” only referenced God once, and never referenced virtue.
When Hegseth halted use of the guide, he said: “Our chaplains are chaplains, not emotional support officers, and we’re going to treat them as such.”
In January, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, spoke in favor of Hegseth removing the guide, similarly condemning efforts to “reduce the chaplaincy to either … social work or cheerleading, none of which is really the chaplain’s job.”
“[Hegseth] definitely wants to return the chaplaincy to responsibility for religious services, religious instruction, and advising the commanders,” Broglio said at the time.
The archdiocese did not respond to a request for comment about Green’s removal.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, criticized Hegseth’s removal of Green in a post on X, noting it was done “without explanation” and called Green “a decorated leader who tended to our military’s spiritual health with honor and distinction.”
“This purge of senior military leaders should alarm every American,” Coons said. “With no clear path to ending the war in Iran, experience and trusted leadership matter more than ever. Instead, Trump and Hegseth are pushing out senior officers for seemingly no valid reason.”
Pentagon omits Catholic Good Friday service
The Pentagon, which headquarters the Department of Defense (DOD), which Hegseth has called the Department of War, held Protestant services on Good Friday but did not hold a Catholic Good Friday service.
A Pentagon official told EWTN News that the Pentagon chaplain office’s priest was not in town on Good Friday, so no service was scheduled. However, Catholic Masses are routinely offered to employees.
“Catholic Masses are held on a daily basis in the Pentagon,” the official said. “Additionally, the Pentagon Chaplain Office holds weekly services for several major religions. ... Every service is open to all department employees.”
The board of the Catholic Military Apostolate of the United States (CMA-US) said in a statement to EWTN News: “We understand that the regular Catholic chaplain assigned to the Pentagon was not present that day. If a Catholic liturgical service is normally offered there and could not be held because other arrangements were not made, that is disappointing.”
“At the same time, moments like this demonstrate precisely why the work of lay apostolates such as CMA-US is so essential,” the statement read. “When chaplains are unavailable to lead formal services, actively involved Catholic lay people living in community within the military can — and must — come together to pray, learn, and sustain the faith life of their brothers and sisters in uniform.”
In January, Broglio said the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, has been facing a priest shortage. At the time, he said the archdiocese has about 190 priests, but “we should probably have about 500 to actually meet the needs.”
Vittorio Messori dies, Italian Catholic journalist and author, defender of the faith
Vittorio Messori, a renowned Italian Catholic journalist, convert, and author of over 20 books in which he defended the faith and made it accessible to the general public by offering reasons for it, passed away at the age of 84 on April 3 at his home in Desenzano del Garda, Italy.
Messori was the author of the books “The Ratzinger Report” (1985) — produced after interviewing then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI — and “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (1994), written after interviewing St. John Paul II. Both works became global bestsellers and were translated into a number of languages.
In a post on X, Spanish Bishop José Ignacio Munilla remembered Messori as “a journalist to whom we owe a great deal in the Catholic Church” and highlighted that “The Ratzinger Report” is a book he has “underlined and reread many times, and which has helped me enormously to understand the postconciliar crisis and to navigate through turbulent waters.”
Messori first gained international recognition in 1976, when he published his book “Hypotheses on Jesus,” a work that sought to counter skepticism using historical and rational arguments regarding Christ, thereby becoming a global touchstone for the Catholic faith.
Messori was born on April 16, 1941, in Sassuolo, Italy. He was raised in an agnostic family, with a mother who put him “on guard” against priests.
Between June and August 1964, while studying political science at the university, he decided to convert to the Catholic faith.
“I entered into what felt like a new dimension, where the truth of that Gospel, which until then I had known nothing about, became crystal clear and tangible to me. Even though I had never attended church and had never undertaken any religious studies, I discovered that my perspective — previously secularist and agnostic — had suddenly become Christian. More than that: Catholic,” Messori told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, in a 2009 interview.
The Italian journalist made the comments in Spain, where he had gone to present his book “Why I Believe,” in which he recounted how he went from being an agnostic to becoming the most prestigious Catholic apologist of the era.
Messori also authored “They Say He Is Resurrected,” in which he delved into the facts and data that substantiate the historicity of the Gospel passages concerning the Resurrection.
He also wrote “Black Legends of the Church,” in which he responded to various historical myths concerning the Church, such as those related to the Inquisition, Galileo, the conquest of the Americas, and the Crusades, among others.
In a 2022 statement to ACI Prensa, Messori emphasized that being a convert “has been my drama, but it has also been my advantage, in the sense that I cannot be swayed by human respect when, in reality, for me, the discovery of the Church has been the discovery of a home.”
He further underscored that in his books and articles, faith in Christ has “never” been an “ideology, or something cultural or sociological. It has been a living person.”
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.
Latin patriarch of Jerusalem on Easter: ‘The Risen One is not where we left him’
“The Risen One is not where we left him; he goes before us.”
With this affirmation, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, proclaimed in the the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that Easter does not confirm human certainties but rather unsettles them to open the believer to a living faith.
From the very place where Jesus conquered death, the cardinal said: “Here, inside this sepulcher, we are not facing a symbol: We are facing a real emptiness. An emptiness that is not an absence but a proclamation.”
He explained that the Gospel account depicts Mary Magdalene confronting uncertainty, uttering the first expression of authentic faith: “We do not know where they have laid him.”
“God does not allow himself to be possessed. The Risen One is not where we expected him to be. He is not confined by the boundaries of our certainties,” he emphasized, pointing out that “it is not we who protect God; it is God who sets us free.”
In his reflection, the patriarch warned against a comfortable or routine religiosity. “We, on the other hand, would like a kind of faith that does not turn our world upside down,” he said, noting that in the Resurrection, “God does something we did not ask for: He withdraws. Not to flee, but to save us from a misunderstanding — that faith is something to be possessed.”
Reflecting on the empty tomb, the cardinal said that signs such as the folded burial cloths indicate that the Resurrection is not a magical act but a manifestation of freedom: “Death is no longer a garment that conceals but a garment that has been carefully set aside, no longer needed.”
The cardinal also linked the Easter message to the current political reality in the Holy Land, which is marked by conflict. “We know all too well that many stones remain sealed around us,” he lamented, referring to “hatred, violence, and retaliation.”
In that context, he issued a warning: “It seems that we place the Lord back in a tomb every time we believe that death has the final word over history.”
In light of this, he affirmed that Easter “is not a distant dogma but a defiance of resignation. It is the only hope that can still open, here and now, the gates of peace.”
The patriarch further emphasized the universal character of Christianity, reminding people that “God shows no partiality” and that “no life is ‘too lost’ to be sought.”
He maintained that Christianity is not reduced to contemplation but rather consists of actually following Christ: “The Risen One is not an object of worship; he is a person who calls. He is not merely to be contemplated; he is to be followed.”
Likewise, he warned of the risk of stripping Christian life of its meaning: “Even holy places can become museums if they do not become an exodus [a going forth] ... the liturgy can become routine if it does not lead to conversion.”
Finally, Pizzaballa called for living out Easter concretely in daily life, saying that “stepping out [of the empty tomb] means choosing forgiveness when it would be easier to harden our hearts; choosing truth when it would be more comfortable to conform; choosing hope when everything suggests the opposite.”
“Easter is not a phrase to be repeated; it is a door to be walked through. The stone has been rolled away. The passage is open. But we must decide whether to stay inside or go out,” he affirmed.
The patriarch concluded with the central proclamation of the Christian faith: “The Lord is risen! And precisely because he has risen, we will never find him where we left him. We will find him standing before us, calling us out.”
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.
Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday
The Divine Mercy Novena begins each Good Friday and ends on the first Sunday after Easter.
The novena originates with Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM, canonized a saint in April 2000, a Polish religious sister and mystic who experienced apparitions of Jesus, who gave her a novena prayer to his mercy. She was to start it on Good Friday, the day Christians mark Jesus’ crucifixion.
St. Faustina wrote in her diary that she began the novena for the conversion of the whole world that all may recognize God’s mercy and that all souls may speak of his goodness.
Jesus reportedly said to St. Faustina: “I desire the confidence of my people. Let not even the weak and very sinful fear to approach me; even if their sins be as numerous as all the sands of the earth, they will be forgiven in the fathomless pit of my mercy.”
St. Faustina received instructions on how to make the novena: “During these nine days I want you to lead souls to the fount of my mercy, in order that they may draw from it strength, refreshment, and all the graces they need in the trials of their lives, especially at the hour of death. Each day you will lead a different group of souls and immerse them in the sea of my mercy. Each day you will beseech the Father through my bitter passion for graces for these souls.”
This novena can be made at any time, but it is recommended to begin it on Good Friday in preparation for the feast of Divine Mercy, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter.
Jesus told Faustina that “the souls that will go to confession, in preparation, and Communion on this day will obtain a complete remission of all sin and all punishment. .... On each day you will bring to my heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of my mercy, and I will bring all these souls into the house of my Father ... on each day you will beg my Father, on the strength of my bitter passion, for graces for these souls.”
How to pray the Divine Mercy Novena
The novena consists of praying a daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy and daily prayer intentions. The novena is prayed as follows:
The Lord’s Prayer
Hail Mary
Apostles’ Creed
On each of the large rosary beads say:
Eternal Father, I offer to you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
On each of the small rosary beads say:
For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Conclude by saying three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
First day
“Today bring to me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. In this way you will console me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges me.” Most merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust, which we place in your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of your most compassionate heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of you by your love, which unites you to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. For the sake of his sorrowful passion, show us your mercy, that we may praise the infinite power of your mercy, forever and forever. Amen.
Second day
“Today bring to me the souls of priests and religious and immerse them in my unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure my bitter passion. Through them, as though channels, my mercy flows out upon mankind.” Most merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase your grace in men and women consecrated to your service that they perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see them may glorify the father of mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in your vineyard — upon the souls of priests and religious — and endow them with the strength of your blessing. For the love of the heart of your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
Third day
“Today bring to me all devout and faithful souls and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.” Most merciful Jesus, from the treasury of your mercy, you impart your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of your most compassionate heart and never let us escape from it. We beg this grace of you by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which your heart burns so fiercely. Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of your Son. For the sake of his sorrowful passion grant them your blessing and surround them with your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of angels and saints, may they glorify your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fourth day
“Today bring to me those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know me. I was thinking also of them during my bitter passion, and their future zeal comforted my heart. Immerse them in the ocean of my mercy.”
Most compassionate Jesus, you are the light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who as yet do not believe in you or do not know you. Let the rays of your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol your wonderful mercy, and do not let them escape from the abode that is your compassionate heart.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls who do not believe in your Son, and of those who as yet do not know you, but who are enclosed in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love you. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fifth day
“Today bring to me the souls who have separated from my Church and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. During my bitter passion they tore at my body and heart; that is, my Church. As they return to unity with the Church, my wounds heal, and in this way they alleviate my passion.” Most merciful Jesus, goodness itself, you do not refuse light to those who seek it of you. Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who have separated from your Church. Draw them by your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of your most compassionate heart, but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who are separated from your Son’s Church, especially those who have squandered your blessings and misused your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors but upon the love of your own Son and upon his bitter passion, which he underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in his most compassionate heart. Bring it about that they may glorify your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Sixth day
“Today bring to me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children and immerse them in my mercy. These souls most closely resemble my heart. They strengthened me during my bitter agony. I saw them as earthly angels, who will keep vigil at my altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving my grace. I favor humble souls with my confidence.” Most merciful Jesus, you yourself have said “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in your most compassionate heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls and upon the souls of little children, who are enfolded in the abode which is the most compassionate heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg you by the love you bear these souls and by the delight you take in them. Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Seventh day
“Today bring to me the souls who especially venerate and glorify my mercy and immerse them in my mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my passion and entered most deeply into my spirit. They are living images of my compassionate heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.” Most merciful Jesus, whose heart is love itself, receive into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward confident of your mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate your greatest attribute, that of your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirits, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to you, O Most High! I beg you O God: Show them your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in you. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of his, he himself, will defend as his glory. Amen.
Eighth day
“Today bring to me the souls who are detained in purgatory and immerse them in the abyss of my mercy. Let the torrents of my blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are really loved by me. They are making retribution to my justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all indulgences from the treasury of my Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt for my justice.” Most merciful Jesus, you yourself have said that you desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of your most compassionate heart the souls in purgatory, souls who are very dear to you, and yet, who must make retribution to your justice. May the streams of blood and water that gushed forth from your heart put out the flames of purgatory, that there, too, the power of your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in purgatory, who are enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. I beg you, by the sorrowful passion of Jesus your Son, and by all the bitterness with which his most sacred soul was flooded: Manifest your mercy to the souls who are under your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the wounds of Jesus, your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth day
“Today bring to me souls who have become lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of my mercy. These souls wound my heart most painfully. My souls suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from me, if it be your will. For them the last hope of salvation is to run to my mercy.’” Most compassionate Jesus, you are compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of your most compassionate heart. In this fire of your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled you with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O most compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond your power.
Eternal Father, turn your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the most compassionate heart of Jesus. Father of mercy, I beg you by the bitter passion of your Son and by his three-hour agony on the cross, let them too, glorify the abyss of your mercy. Amen.
This story was based on a story from CatholicExpert.com and printed here with permission. It was first published on March 31, 2021, and has been adapted by EWTN News.