Latin American bishops pray for Colombia, express solidarity, following powerful earthquake
Bishops from Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Chile expressed their solidarity and offered prayers following the earthquake that struck Colombia on Aug. 10 leaving at least 180 dead and thousands injured.
The bishops of Argentina expressed their “closeness and solidarity with the Church and with the entire beloved people of Colombia.”
In a letter sent to Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera, president of the Colombian Bishops' Conference, the Argentine prelates stated: “We especially share in the pain of the victims and their families, and we accompany with our prayers all the communities affected by this difficult time.”
“We ask the Lord to grant comfort to those who are suffering, strength to those who have lost loved ones, and hope to those facing the consequences of this tragedy,” they emphasized.
Solidarity with the Colombian people
The bishops of Peru expressed their “most heartfelt closeness and solidarity with the beloved Colombian people and with the entire Catholic Church in Colombia.”
“We accompany with our prayers the families going through moments of anguish and, especially, those who have lost their loved ones. We ask the Lord to welcome the deceased into his presence and to grant solace and strength to their families,” the bishops continued.
The Peruvian prelates also prayed to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, patroness of Colombia, for the injured and for all those “affected by this disaster, as well as for those participating in relief and aid efforts.”
“From Peru, we renew our prayers and our affection for the sister people of Colombia,” the bishops stated.
Mexican bishops invoke Our Lady of Guadalupe’s intercession
The Mexican Bishops’ Conference stated on X that “we join in prayer with the Latin American Bishops’ Council and the entire Church in Colombia in the face of the earthquake that occurred today.”
“We express our closeness and solidarity with the affected families. We ask God to grant strength and hope to those experiencing moments of anguish today and to bless those working in relief and rescue efforts,” they stated.
“May Our Lady of Guadalupe accompany the Colombian people and cover them with her mantle of protection,” the prelates prayed.
Joining humanitarian aid initiatives
The Chilean Bishops’ Conference also expressed its “fraternal closeness to the Colombian people and their shepherds,” joining in prayer “for the families who have lost loved ones, the injured, and those suffering the destruction of their homes.”
“We also share the concern of the Colombian community in Chile and assure them of our closeness and remembrance before the altar of the Lord,” they added.
The Chilean bishops encouraged the faithful to “pray for the victims and join in the humanitarian aid initiatives of the civil and ecclesial institutions.”
The earthquake in Colombia
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck several Colombian departments (administrative districts) on Aug. 10 has left at least 180 people dead. In an update on Aug. 11, President Abelardo de la Espriella said that almost 2,600 people were injured, almost 200 are missing, more than 1,100 homes have been destroyed, and more than 8,000 have been damaged, the BBC reported.
The quake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time at a depth of about 60 miles, with its epicenter in the town of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó on the Pacific coast.
De la Espriella declared a state of emergency to coordinate aid for the nine departments affected by the earthquake, the strongest in the last 10 years.
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.
Court reconsiders First Amendment challenge to Michigan school’s transgender policies
A federal court granted a request from two parents to consider whether a Michigan school district violated the First Amendment when officials began treating their daughter as a boy without informing them.
Judge Paul Maloney granted the motion to reconsider Aug. 7 in light of the 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. The Supreme Court decided 6-3 that a similar policy in California likely violated the parents’ First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion, which includes the right to direct the religious development of their children.
Similar to the California lawsuit, the two Michigan parents — Dan and Jennifer Mead — have argued that their views on gender and human sexuality are based on their Christian faith. The original lawsuit states that the Meads believe “each of us is born with a fixed biological sex that is a gift from God, not an arbitrary imposition subject to change.”
According to the lawsuit, their seventh-grade daughter asked school officials at the Rockford Public School District to refer to her with a masculine name and use male pronouns. School officials began doing this but never informed her parents, and the school counselor had discussed the daughter’s broader mental health struggles with her parents, the lawsuit states.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, who represents the parents in court, said in a statement that “parents have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children — without government interference.”
“By intentionally concealing this information from the Meads, the school district violated their constitutional rights as parents to make critical decisions about their daughter,” Anderson said. “The court’s ruling is a necessary step toward protecting the Mead family’s First Amendment rights.”
Steve Matthews, superintendent for Rockford Public Schools, told EWTN News “the legal process continues to proceed” and “we have no comment at this time as we continue through this process.”
Court proceedings continue
The lawsuit alleges that school officials began treating the Meads’ daughter as a boy in 2022. It states that the school used a masculine name and male pronouns when speaking with their daughter and in internal school records. Yet, they used her legal name and female pronouns when talking to her parents and in documents shared with parents, it states.
Her parents removed her from the school in October 2022 after school officials forgot to alter a document that used the masculine name and male pronouns before giving it to her parents, the lawsuit states. This is how the parents discovered the school’s practices.
The Meads filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging the school district violated their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and the 14th Amendment’s protection of a parent’s right to raise his or her children.
In 2025, a federal court allowed the 14th Amendment claims to proceed but dismissed the First Amendment claims. On Aug. 7, 2026, the court granted a motion to reconsider First Amendment claims in light of the new Supreme Court precedent set in Mirabelli v. Bonta.
Maloney’s court order in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division states the Supreme Court ruling “calls into question the court’s interpretation of the relevant law and will grant the motion to reconsider.” It says the lawsuit filed in Mirabelli v. Bonta “involved school policies similar to the district’s policies here.”
“When a student engaged in gender transitioning at school, the policy prevented school staff from telling the student’s parents about their child’s situation unless the student consented,” the judge said of the Mirabelli v. Bonta decision.
“Like the policies at issue in Mirabelli, the policies here likely created a substantial burden on the Meads’ free-exercise rights,” the order adds. “The Meads share religious beliefs similar to the parents in Mirabelli about the permanency of biological sex and the fixed relationship between sex and gender.”
The judge’s order notes that the Rockford Public School District’s position is that its policies are designed “to meet [the district’s] interest in promoting student safety and success.” Yet, the court order states that the policies “do not factor in parents’ views and, as a result, they ‘cut’ parents out.”
Church in Colombia prays and mobilizes to help those affected by major earthquake
The Colombian Bishops’ Conference expressed its concern for those affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Aug. 10, with the bishops calling upon “all the faithful to support them through prayer and solidarity.”
The earthquakeʼs epicenter was in the San José del Palmar subdistrict in the department of Chocó, and it was also felt in at least the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Cauca, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca as well as in the capital, Bogotá.
In its initial report, the national government stated that 111 people died and 87 were injured. In addition, 1,575 homes were damaged, 37 were destroyed, 61 buildings had collapsed, and six airports were affected, with one suffering damage to its runway. According to the Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon, at least 180 people were reported dead and 2,500 were injured, with thousands still missing.
Faced with this situation, the bishops’ conference prayed that Christ would strengthen the hearts of the victims and “grant them solace and hope, and accompany those involved in medical attention and rescue efforts.”
“Let us lift up with one voice a fervent prayer for Colombia; let us put into practice the charity of Christ toward our brothers and sisters, especially in these moments of suffering. May our prayer and closeness also be a sign of hope,” the bishops stated on social media.
Subsequently, in a message published on its website, the national bishops’ conference reiterated its call for solidarity, noting “that no one can face an emergency of this magnitude alone.”
“Colombia is called upon, once again, to recognize itself as one family and to respond to the suffering of its brothers and sisters with generosity and solidarity,” the bishops' conference stated, with the prelates adding that they would announce as soon as possible the ways the faithful can provide aid in solidarity with those affected.
Catholic organizations move to provide aid
To assist those affected, various food banks and other Catholic organizations have activated their protocols to collect donations and send them to the affected communities as soon as possible including the food banks of the archdioceses of Bogotá and Bucaramanga, which have issued an appeal on social media for monetary donations and packaged food.
The Colombia office of Aid to the Church in Need has also encouraged people to contribute donations to support the affected communities, “because when everything seems to be tottering, the Church remains.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope chooses theme on AI and war for World Day of Peace 2027
Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Disarming Technology, Serving Peace. Politics as Preventive Responsibility” as the theme of the 2027 World Day of Peace.
The theme will be part of the celebrations for the 60th World Day of Peace, observed on Jan. 1, 2027, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced on Aug. 11.
The announcement referenced Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, highlighting his appeal to civil leaders to prioritize humanitarian principles and shared responsibility.
Quoting from Magnifica Humanitas, the Vatican said that Pope Leo, “recalling that ‘no algorithm can make war morally acceptable’ and warning of the risks involved in entrusting military decisions to artificial intelligence … makes a fervent appeal to the international community to foster shared agreements capable of safeguarding human responsibility and humanitarian principles in situations in which human life and peaceful coexistence among peoples are at stake.”
The Aug. 11 statement also explained that the pontiff had chosen this theme to “draw attention to the moral responsibility of those called to serve in the public sphere.”
The World Day of Peace was instituted by St. Paul VI, who proposed it on Dec. 8, 1967, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Church first celebrated the day on Jan. 1, 1968, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
The observance has often been an occasion for popes to highlight the relevance of Catholic social teaching to global challenges, including war, the right to life, and international diplomacy.
Pope Leo XIV expresses sorrow for the victims of earthquake in Colombia
Amid the devastation of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, Pope Leo XIV has sent his condolences to all victims of the disaster and assured them of his closeness.
In a telegram dated Aug. 11 and signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed his sorrow upon learning of the earthquake, which, according to an Aug. 11 BBC news report, has killed at least 132 people and injured 570.
It has also severely damaged several buildings, including the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Manizales Cathedral.
“The Holy Father,” according to the telegram, is “deeply saddened to learn of the sorrowful news of the earthquake that has severely affected several areas of Colombia, causing casualties and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches.”
The telegram added that the pontiff “offers prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased and raises his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy.”
Tweet
The message, addressed to the archbishop of Cartagena and president of the bishops’ conference of Colombia, Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa, ICM, asks him “to convey the heartfelt condolences of His Holiness Leo XIV to the families who, in this hour of profound sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones.”
Local and national authorities continue to assess the casualties and damage from the earthquake, concentrated in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast.
On its social media, the Archdiocese of Manizales shared a video showing cracks in the facade and the partial collapse of one of the side towers of the Manizales Cathedral, which stands 390 feet tall, making it the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the tallest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.
Nonprofit’s global review finds family-led development creates lasting pathways out of poverty
More than a decade of evaluations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America found that family-led development is a consistent driver of lasting progress for families experiencing poverty in Unbound’s programs.
Unbound, an international nonprofit founded by lay Catholics and grounded in Catholic social teaching, centers its numerous programs on alleviating poverty by allowing families to identify their own priorities and lead their personal development.
The organization, which is approaching its 45th anniversary in November, helps families remain in charge through direct cash transfers. Since it was established, Unbound has raised $3 billion, $2.5 billion of which has gone directly into families’ bank accounts.
The findings draw from 13 years of evaluations across 16 countries, spanning programs focused on women’s empowerment, education, elder support, leadership development, and community engagement.
The evaluations serve as a way to examine what is working and where the organization can make changes and updates to better serve families.
Just like its programs, the evaluation process is “quite decentralized” with dozens of “local internal evaluators embedded within each program staff around the world,” Melissa Velazquez, vice president of program evaluation and learning at Unbound, told EWTN News.
The evaluations are “to really make sure that weʼre moving in a direction that is evidence based and helping us understand what works best,” Velazquez said. “First and foremost” the evaluations are “for the families and communities so that they can learn and grow, and we can learn and grow.”
They are also to show sponsors the benefits and success of Unbound’s mission and to show “others who might be working in the international development space,” Velazquez said.
“Our very loyal, longtime base of donors and sponsors are very connected to our work emotionally through their faith and through the power of our stories,” Ashley Hufft, president and CEO of Unbound, told EWTN News.
“Then the opportunity is very exciting to be able to turn now to our sponsors and donors and actually show … that impact,” Hufft said.
Data reveals increasing rates of women in leadership
In 2025, Unbound surveyed 2,329 women in Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, Uganda, Kenya, and the Philippines. The research compared Unbound participants to women on the organization’s waiting list and adjusted for differences including age, education, and marital status.
It found that women in Unbound programs reported higher levels of confidence, more access to leadership opportunities, and greater financial inclusion.
The evaluations found that 70% of women participating in Unbound programs in Guatemala had a bank account registered in their names, compared with 24% of women with children on the organizationʼs sponsorship waiting list.
In Nairobi, Kenya, 60% of sponsored women accessed credit in the previous year compared with 34% of women on the waiting list.
Unbound also examined the outcomes of its numerous mothers groups, which are community-based support groups of parents or guardians with sponsored children in Unbound.
Through the organizationʼs Agents of Change program, the women make community-level decisions based on community needs with the help of grant money they receive after getting proposals approved.
“Unbound is so focused on household poverty, the elimination of that, and helping families … direct their own path. But we recognize that there are issues in the community,” Velazquez said. “So there are things that have to be worked on at a community level or a structural level.”
When evaluating the program, “we werenʼt just trying to count how many roads were paved or how many solar lights were installed. We were looking at empowerment outcomes for women,” Velazquez said.
The organization asked: “How many women felt confident to speak to authority? How many of them felt like leaders in the community? How many of them felt they actually had the power to make change?”
In Kampala, Uganda, women participating in the groups were 21 percentage points more likely to hold leadership positions than their nonparticipating counterparts.
A 2025 evaluation found that 74% of the participants feel they are involved in community decisions and make their community a better place to live. Also, 35% reported that they held a leadership position in their community since joining Unbound.
Due to the success, Unbound created an additional program, Agents of Change Kids. It will launch in 2027 to give children opportunities to develop community leadership as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Evaluations reveal success for families, elders
Another evaluation addressed Unbound participants who use Poverty Stoplight, a poverty measurement tool. Families use green indicators to mark “no poverty,” yellow for “poverty,” and red for “extreme poverty” in numerous areas of poverty in their lives and then create pathways to improve each one.
A 2025 analysis found that nearly half of participating families have surpassed the 60% green threshold and over 60% have fewer than 10% red indicators.
Evaluations also showed positive updates within Unbound’s programs for elder support. It revealed that elderly participants reported less loneliness, stronger social connections, improved food security, and greater access to healthcare than nonparticipating elders.
It found 66% of participating elders reported receiving all needed medical care compared with only 40% of those not in Unbound. The outcomes for elders led the organization to increase its elder sponsorship in its 2030 strategic plan.
Next steps for Unbound
Unbound’s 2030 strategic plan, “Hope in Every Step: A Radical Journey to End Poverty,” is a guide of the organizationʼs work helping to eliminate global poverty by expanding the impact of its decentralized approach.
The plan was shaped by program partners across the globe. It highlights what Unbound wants to achieve, overarching goals, and strategic pillars it will use to measure the impact to eliminate poverty, empower women, advance education, build community, and promote well-being of all ages.
Ultimately, Unbound will continue its mission of family-led decision-making.
“I donʼt think that thereʼs anyone better positioned to understand what their family needs and how to prioritize between a lot of competing priorities with little resources and various time constraints and levels of urgency on it,” Hufft said. “No one, at the core, can do it like the family.”
Pope Leo XIV appoints new members to Vatican’s Council for the Economy
Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 11 named eight new members, including four laypeople, to the Council for the Economy, the body that oversees the administrative and financial structures and activities of the Roman Curia and institutions connected to the Holy See.
The council also approves the annual budget and the consolidated financial statements of the Holy See and submits them to the pope.
Members are appointed by the pope for a five-year term and, according to the constitution of the Roman Curia, are always divided between eight cardinals or bishops and seven expert laypeople chosen from diverse nationalities.
The new cardinals appointed to the council Aug. 11 are Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Krakow, Poland; Ladislav Nemet, SVD, archbishop of Belgrade, Serbia; Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, archbishop of Algiers, Algeria; and Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin, Italy.
Among the laypeople, Pope Leo appointed HSH Gisela Bergmann, princess of Liechtenstein and the daughter of HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. The 36-year-old holds a degree in engineering and has worked in various positions in investment banking and engineering in England, Canada, Singapore, and Switzerland.
Since 2022, Bergmann has been CEO of Industrie-Und Finanzkontor, a financial company founded by the princely family of Liechtenstein.
Leo also appointed French businessman and philanthropist Denis Duverne, who has been chair of the board of directors of the French multinational insurance corporation AXA since 2016. He has a background in regulatory affairs in France and abroad.
The pope also appointed two Italians to the council. Elena Principato-Wettstein, an Italian currently based in Switzerland, is executive director and head of sales management WM Europe International at UBS, the Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services firm.
Paolo Nusiner, meanwhile, has had a long career managing Catholic institutions in Italy, including holding the top positions at the Catholic newspaper Avvenire and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.
He has been director for general affairs at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication since 2015 and president of the Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola Hospital in Rome since 2022.
Leo confirmed the following people, originally appointed by Pope Francis, for additional five-year terms: Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil; Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, ISPX, archbishop of Québec, Canada, and primate of Canada; Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, CSSR, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; Leslie Jane Ferrar, trustee of the Archdiocese of Westminster, Great Britain; Alberto Minali, chief executive officer of REVO Insurance; and Father Brian Edwin Ferme, a canon lawyer and secretary of the council.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has led the council since it was established by Pope Francis in 2014, will also continue in his position, as will the council’s vice coordinator, the German legal scholar Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof.
According to the constitution of the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, the council “carries out its functions in the light of the social doctrine of the Church, following the best practices recognized internationally in the field of public administration and striving for an administrative and financial management that is both ethical and efficient.”
7 things to know about St. Clare of Assisi, the patron saint of television
On Aug. 11, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Clare of Assisi, one of the most beloved saints of the Middle Ages. Best known as the founder of the Poor Clares and a close friend of St. Francis of Assisi, Clareʼs life was marked by radical trust in God, profound Eucharistic devotion, and remarkable courage.
Here are seven things to know about the woman whose witness continues to inspire Catholics more than 800 years later:
1. She came from a wealthy noble family — but left everything behind.
Clare was born in Assisi, Italy, on July 16, 1194, into one of the cityʼs most prominent noble families. As a young woman, she enjoyed a privileged upbringing and was expected to marry into another wealthy household.
Instead, after hearing Francis — who is now known as St. Francis of Assisi — preach about living the Gospel with radical simplicity, Clare felt called to dedicate her life entirely to Christ. At age 18, she secretly left her family home on Palm Sunday night in 1212 to begin a new life of poverty.
Her family attempted to bring her home by force, but Clare firmly refused and cut off her hair as a sign that she belonged to God alone.
2. She founded the Poor Clares.
With Francis' guidance, Clare established a community of women at the Church of San Damiano outside Assisi that would become known as the Poor Clares. She eventually became abbess and led the monastery for more than 40 years.
Despite their similarities, Franciscans and Poor Clares have distinctive differences.
The Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, include men who are called to live the Gospel through poverty, fraternity, and service, often ministering in parishes, schools, missions, and charitable works around the world. The Poor Clares, founded by St. Clare of Assisi in 1212 with the guidance of St. Francis, are a contemplative order of women who live a cloistered life centered on prayer, the Eucharist, and community life.
While both embrace the Franciscan ideals of simplicity and poverty, the Franciscans are primarily active in apostolic ministry, whereas the Poor Clares dedicate their lives to supporting the Church through prayer and contemplation.
3. She was the first woman to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.
One of St. Clareʼs most significant contributions to the Church was authoring the Rule for the Poor Clares. While many womenʼs religious communities of the time followed rules adapted from existing monastic traditions, Clare aimed to preserve the distinctive charism she had embraced alongside St. Francis.
For decades, Clare resisted pressure from Church authorities to modify her communityʼs way of life by accepting property or financial endowments. Instead, she carefully composed a rule that reflected the Franciscan ideal while providing practical guidance for the sisters' communal life, prayer, governance, and observance of enclosure.
On Aug. 9, 1253, just two days before Clareʼs death, Pope Innocent IV formally approved her rule, making her the first woman in the history of the Church to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.
The rule remains the foundation of Poor Clare communities throughout the world and stands as a lasting testament to Clareʼs spiritual leadership and unwavering commitment to the Franciscan vision.
4. She had an extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist.
Perhaps no aspect of Clareʼs spirituality stands out more than her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. She spent countless hours in prayer before the Eucharist and encouraged her sisters to center their lives on Christʼs real presence.
This Eucharistic devotion became especially evident during one of the most famous events of her life.
One of the best-known stories about Clare occurred when invading Saracen mercenaries threatened the convent of San Damiano. Although seriously ill, Clare asked that the Blessed Sacrament be brought to her. Holding the monstrance before the attackers, she prayed for Godʼs protection, and the invaders fled.
5. She is the patron saint of television.
Near the end of Clare’s life, illness prevented her from attending Mass. According to tradition, she was miraculously able to see and hear the Christmas midnight Mass in 1252 being celebrated on the wall of her room in the convent. Because of this extraordinary supernatural event, Pope Pius XII declared her the patron saint of television in 1958.
6. She and St. Francis shared one of the Churchʼs most remarkable friendships.
The friendship between St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most enduring examples of holy companionship in Church history. Although Francis played a pivotal role in Clareʼs discernment and inspired her embrace of a life of poverty, their relationship was marked by mutual respect and a shared desire to follow Christ above all else. Francis entrusted Clare with establishing and leading the community at San Damiano, while Clare remained a steadfast guardian of the Franciscan charism, especially after Francis' death in 1226.
Despite living separate vocations, the two maintained a deep spiritual bond rooted in prayer, humility, and service to the Gospel. More than eight centuries later, their example continues to inspire men and women to support one another in faithfully responding to Godʼs call.
7. Her influence continues more than 800 years later.
On Aug. 11, 1253, Clare died at the age of 59. She was canonized by Pope Alexander IV on Sept. 26, 1255.
More than 800 years after she left her family home to follow Christ, St. Clareʼs witness continues to resonate with Catholics across the globe. Her unwavering trust in Godʼs providence, profound love for the Eucharist, and commitment to a life of simplicity remain as relevant today as they were in the 13th century.
Through the monasteries of the Poor Clares, her spirit of contemplative prayer and poverty lives on, with thousands of religious sisters dedicating their lives to praying for the needs of the Church and the world.
Today, there are approximately 20,000 Poor Clare nuns worldwide. They live in more than 500 monasteries in over 70 countries.
Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France seeks donations as it prepares for Pope Leo’s visit
The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV as part of his pastoral visit to France in September, a development that represents “an unprecedented logistical and spiritual challenge” for the site where the Immaculate Conception first appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The shrine’s recent newsletters have highlighted the preparations and appealed for support to help carry out the necessary work to welcome the Holy Father and the thousands of pilgrims expected for the occasion.
For the Sunday, Sept. 27, Mass, organizers plan to install a platform capable of accommodating 400 people, an audio system suitable for the sanctuary’s meadow, 10 giant screens, and enhanced signage.
In addition, measures are being taken “to ensure the safety of pedestrian routes and facilitate the movement of sick, elderly, and disabled persons,” a priority that is already central to the shrine’s mission but one that organizers hope to improve further.
Most of these upgrades will remain at the shrine for the long-term benefit of pilgrims, so any donations are viewed as an investment in Lourdes’ future.
In total, organizers expect to install more than 6.2 miles of security barriers, mobilize approximately 600 volunteers, welcome nearly 3,000 priests, provide 1,000 temporary public restrooms, and implement an enhanced cleaning and waste-management system.
Registration opens for Mass and rosary procession
Beyond the technical challenges, shrine officials emphasize that the essential priority during the pope’s visit is to maintain the shrine’s normal activities, “accompanying the sick with the same tenderness” and ensuring that “the spiritual heart of Lourdes continues to beat uninterrupted alongside the day’s events.”
Organizers also announced that registration forms are now available for those wishing to attend, either individually or as part of a group. While registration is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.
Two registration forms have been created: one for individuals, families, or groups of fewer than 10 people, and another for larger groups.
Upon registering, pilgrims will receive practical information by email, including transportation options, recommended travel routes, and instructions for access and seating arrangements in the Meadow or the Rosary Esplanade.
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.
Report warns of U.S. shift away from prioritizing international religious freedom
A report published by Dallas Baptist University’s Center for Global Religious Freedom detailed concerns that the United States and some other Western nations have shifted their diplomatic priorities away from international religious freedom advocacy.
The report, published July 27, alleged “a retreat of Western nations from human rights” like religious freedom, which has “contributed to widespread religious persecution affecting Christians and other faith communities worldwide.”
According to the authors, the U.S. and many European nations are prioritizing “hard interests,” which they called a shift “reverting to the historical norms of foreign affairs.” The report notes some specific changes seen in President Donald Trump’s second administration, which began in January 2025.
In what the authors called “the U.S. retreat,” they cited elements of the administration’s foreign policy. This included reductions to “funding and staffing” for agencies and nongovernmental organizations that support international religious freedom, the lack of an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, and “weak congressional and executive prioritization.”
According to the report, this coincided with a foreign policy centered on “military force, economic power, and territorial security” and de-emphasizing “alliances, values, and soft-power tools.”
Specifically, they note Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which included international religious freedom initiatives, and the suspension of the refugee resettlement program, to which victims of religious persecution previously had access.
It states that USAID’s functions and its staff have been reduced “to the minimum level required by statute” and the Department of State’s human rights initiatives were shifted to its regional bureaus, “which lacked relevant expertise and typically prioritized relationship-maintenance over rights concerns.” It states the International Religious Freedom Office was “demoted” and incorporated into the State Department’s broader human rights bureau and faced staffing cuts.
The report notes the administration has not disclosed how many international religious freedom programs were cut. However, it cited the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) 2026 annual report that concluded “a significant portion” had been terminated.
According to the Dallas Baptist University report, cuts included programs that “counter restrictive laws, support early warning systems for religious violence, promote interfaith dialogue, document violations, provide emergency assistance to religious freedom activists, and provide humanitarian aid to persecuted communities.”
“As the largest financial supporter of international religious freedom efforts, the U.S. government’s abrupt halt and subsequent cuts to its IRF-related assistance harmed the programs’ beneficiaries and implementers, and undercut the IRF advocacy community,” it adds.
The report notes European states followed the U.S. lead by cutting its own foreign assistance, which included initiatives that promote international religious freedom.
It also expresses concern that the position for U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom has remained vacant throughout Trump’s second term after his nominee did not secure a Senate confirmation. The State Department also has not released its annual International Religious Freedom report in 2025, it notes, which is required by law.
Alternatively, the report gives the Trump administration credit for designating Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC) for religious freedom violations, which prompted its government to engage with the U.S. to address problems. It also cited a visa policy that bans individuals who have directed, authorized, supported, or participated in violations of religious freedom.
State Department disputes characterization
In a statement provided to EWTN News, a State Department spokesperson said the U.S., under Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is focused on international religious freedom and has “re-established the United States as a global leader” in defending the right domestically and abroad.
“Under this Administration, the Department of State has made unprecedented advances in accountability by revoking visas from violators of religious freedom and pushing action to defend people of faith around the world,” the spokesperson said. “From our global visa actions, to our public defense of Christians targeted for silent prayer in the United Kingdom, to our designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, we are once again standing up for people of faith in no uncertain terms.”
“The Department unapologetically affirms religious freedom as our nation’s first freedom,” the spokesperson added. “We are also committed to direct advocacy at all levels on behalf of prisoners of conscience.”
Alberto Fernández, an EWTN contributor and former diplomat, told EWTN News that he thinks the U.S. focus on international religious freedom is “far more nuanced” than the report suggests, arguing that religious freedom advocacy always took a back seat in U.S. diplomacy.
Fernández said religious freedom concerns have always been “an add-on” to U.S. diplomatic negotiations, as opposed to a top priority, saying it has always “struggled to get attention.” He said U.S. diplomats may “raise a religious freedom issue,” but “it will be one of a dozen issues that is raised with a specific country.”
He also disputed USAID’s focus on international religious freedom, saying when he was serving in government for more than two dozen years until 2015, the agency “had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do [anything about religious freedom],” adding: “It’s not something they wanted to do; it was something they had to be forced to do.”
Under Trump, he noted that the administration has prioritized religious freedom with the new government in Syria, has made religious freedom in Nigeria a priority, and has advocated on behalf of Orthodox Christians in Turkey, encouraging the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary, which the Turkish government shut down in 1971.
“It’s always going to be an issue that’s going to fight for attention at the table,” Fernández said, adding that “people need to keep pushing it … in their interactions with administrations.”