SSPX rejects Vatican’s excommunication, calls it ‘objectively’ unjust and invalid
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), whose members are known as “Lefebvrians,” rejected the recent excommunications decreed by the Vatican after consecrating four bishops without papal authorization on July 1 and asserted that the sanctions imposed are “objectively unjust and invalid.”
In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree declaring the group to be in schism as “an extreme measure to save souls, amid the doctrinal and moral confusion in which the Church finds itself.”
“We in no way intend to replace the Church, and our sole purpose is to remain faithful to her,” wrote Pagliarani, who leads the group founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991.
The group founded by Lefebvre aims to preserve the traditional liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council while maintaining its opposition to aspects of the council’s teachings on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.
Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining, without the permission of Pope John Paul II, four bishops: Alfonso de Galarreta of Spain, Bernard Fellay of Switzerland, Richard Williamson of England, and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais of France.
Amid attempts to build bridges of dialogue with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 against the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.
Tissier de Mallerais and Williamson died in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Galarreta and Fellay, on the other hand, participated in the recent consecration of four new bishops on July 1, for which they were excommunicated once again.
‘We had asked for bread’
Using as the central theme of his argument the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:11–13), in which Jesus reminds his disciples that “if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” Pagliarani asserted that “we had asked for bread — that is, a little understanding in the face of a sincere case of conscience, a gesture of fatherly compassion.”
“Unfortunately, we have received a stone,” he continued, noting that, instead of “fish” — that is, “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests ... unfortunately, we have received a snake.”
“We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible,” he added. He affirmed that “the holy tradition we preserve in our souls belongs to the Church, our Mother” but “unfortunately, we have received a scorpion.”
The superior of the SSPX assured Leo XIV that the society does not accept the Vatican’s sanctions “in a spirit of bitterness or rebellion” but rather feel encouraged “to love the holy Church even more and to attend to her needs more than ever with all our strength.”
“We are certain that one day you yourself or one of your successors will wish to embrace the program of St. Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” he said, noting that “on that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and deep consolation, authentically Catholic souls — souls whose bond with the Church was never founded on the shifting sands of ambiguous dialogue but on the rock of Peter’s faith.”
‘Turn back!’: Leo XIV’s plea the SSPX ignored
In his letter, Pagliarani makes no mention of the Catholic Church’s repeated calls for dialogue, which date back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II with the creation of the Ecclesia Dei Commission and which reached one of their highest points in Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.
Pope Francis also reached out to the SSPX with decisions such as allowing sacramental confessions with its priests to be valid and lawful during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 — a decision he later extended beyond that year.
Pagliarani also did not address Pope Leo XIV’s direct plea to the Society of St. Pius X, asking the group not to commit “a schismatic act.”
“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I implore and ask you with all my heart: Turn back!” the Holy Father wrote to them on June 30.
“I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would carry out would deprive them of the lawful — and in some cases, even valid — reception of the sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification,” the pope stated.
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 Leo XIV accepts Constitution Center’s 2026 Liberty Medal: ‘I am honored’
PHILADELPHIA — Pope Leo XIV said he was “honored” to accept the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center (NCC) in livestreamed remarks delivered for the ceremony in Philadelphia on July 3.
“I am honored to accept the Liberty Medal of the National Constitution Center in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,” the Holy Father said.
Leo was born in Chicago but earned a bachelor’s degree at Villanova University in the Philadelphia suburbs. The NCC presented the award to the pontiff in person at the Vatican on April 30, ahead of the ceremony.
In his remarks, Leo thanked those gathered in Philadelphia for the occasion. The NCC building overlooks the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the country’s founders developed and adopted the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
“As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice, and peace,” Leo said.
“From our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, with their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” he said.
The pontiff said that although the text employed “the language of the Enlightenment,” the claim is “ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image.”
“It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any state and whose custody constitutes its very purpose,” Leo said.
Respecting the right to life “in every form and condition,” he said, is directly tied to the nation’s vitality. He said society must cultivate a reverence for life that “sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard this gift from the moment of conception to natural death.”
The right to liberty, the pontiff said, is much deeper than simply doing what one wants. It is “founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost — a sacrifice well known to many who have labored to shape this country,” he said.
“The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness, continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God, and it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity,” Leo said.
The Holy Father said that religious freedom, to be “free from fear and coercion, as enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” is needed to answer those questions.
“It is my hope that this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others, and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation, at home and abroad,” he added.
The pope said he is praying that the 250th anniversary of the United States “may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.”
Archbishop Perez, Gov. Shapiro speak
The ceremony was attended by a few hundred guests and included other speakers, such as Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Attorney General Dave Sunday, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, and local Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders.
Perez said throughout Leo’s life — as priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope — he has defended the “inherent dignity of all people and building pathways to peace,” including a defense of religious freedom.
“True freedom stems from defending dignity and the value of every human being,” he said.
Perez told EWTN News following the event that the pope’s words “bring us back to our origins” as Americans regarding the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
“It was wonderful to hear him once again bring us back to center, that we all were created in a very image and likeness of God,” the archbishop said. “Our human dignity and our rights flow from that. They flow from being created in Godʼs image and likeness and from there flows our freedom and the heart that seeks God.”
“Itʼs a wonderful day for Philadelphia,” Perez said. “Itʼs a wonderful day for the country. Itʼs a wonderful day for the world.”
Shapiro congratulated the pope on receiving the award and thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of Pennsylvania, “for using your voice, your power, to advance religious liberty for all people.”
The ceremony included the ringing of a replica of the Liberty Bell just outside the building. It was rung by Sunday, the attorney general, who recalled the words of Benjamin Franklin when the Founding Father was asked what form of government they had created after the constitutional convention: “A republic, if you can keep it.”
“Our Constitution is the rock upon which we will build in the next 250 years,” Sunday said.
Pope Leo XIV congratulates the U.S. on its 250th anniversary
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the contributions of Catholics and immigrants to the United States in an open letter to Americans for the country’s 250th anniversary.
The letter, dated June 25 and released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday, also highlighted the principles of religious freedom and the right to life.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, wrote that the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, “gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice, and democratic self-government.”
The pope called religious freedom “among the most cherished of these principles,” writing that it is “central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.”
That freedom has allowed the Catholic Church to flourish in the U.S., serving the nation in many fields including “education, the preferential care for the poor, healthcare, and basic social services,” Leo wrote
The pope also underscored the importance for the country’s history of the “God-given dignity of every human life.” Recognizing that dignity means “safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death” and caring for the “vulnerable, the suffering, and the forgotten,” he wrote.
It also means “welcoming, protecting, and assisting immigrants,” who “have helped to shape the nation’s character,” Leo wrote.
The pope’s letter to Americans closed with an invocation of the “Immaculate Conception, patroness of this country, that she will continue to watch over America and protect all who dwell therein.”
EWTN News explains: As a Catholic, can you attend an SSPX Mass?
The Vatican this week issued a decree declaring that the bishops involved in the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X’s illicit consecrations have incurred automatic excommunication and that the group is in schism with the Church.
The illicit ordinations occurred in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1 after Pope Leo XIV had urged the group to “turn back” and refrain from carrying out the unauthorized rite.
The SSPX is a controversial fraternity of priests known for their strict traditional celebration of the Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The group for years has enjoyed a canonically irregular status within the Church, and the faithful have generally been permitted to attend Masses held by SSPX priests. Yet the declaration of schism has raised questions about whether or not Catholics can still attend those liturgies without incurring canonical penalties.
The Vatican recognizes that the faithful may be able to attend an SSPX Mass without suffering excommunication, so long as there is no “formal adherence” to the SSPX.
Formal adherence was described in an important 1996 explanatory note from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, on the “Excommunication for Schism Incurred by Members of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre’s Movement,” which was cited in the new decree’s own explanatory note.
It described two key components: an internal one of freely and consciously sharing the substance of the schism and an external one of making outward expression of that choice, such as the exclusive participation in SSPX Masses.
Notably, in the 1996 note, Vatican officials recognized “that occasional participation in liturgical acts or activities of the Lefebvrian movement — without adopting the movement’s attitude of doctrinal and disciplinary disunity — is not sufficient to constitute formal adherence to the movement.”
It added that in pastoral practice, it is necessary “to take into account the person’s intention and how that inner disposition is translated into action,” and such situations should “be judged on a case-by-case basis by the competent authorities.”
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 2 sent a letter to bishops worldwide outlining the means by which clergy and faithful who have taken part in the schism with the Church can return to full communion with the faith.
The letter stipulated that penalties for lay faithful who belong to SSPX “cannot be presumed automatically, but must be assessed case by case.”
The dicastery said that “imputably” in the matter “requires full awareness and deliberate consent.”
Some cases in which laypeople are not considered “imputable,” the dicastery said, include those who have attended SSPX Masses “only for liturgical or spiritual reasons,” along with those who “do not reject the magisterium or the authority of the Roman pontiff.”
‘Strongly discouraged’ for risk of schism, scandal
Nevertheless, the new decree’s explanatory note strongly admonishes the faithful “to remain firmly united with the Roman pontiff, with the bishops in communion with him, and with the entire Church … and to refrain from participating in the celebrations and activities organized by the aforementioned Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.”
Ronald Bolster, an associate professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and dean of the theology school there, said it would be “inappropriate and strongly discouraged to participate in the liturgies and activities” of the SSPX.
To do so, he argued, “would imply support for their schismatic act.”
“Participation could also be a cause of scandal, causing others to consider that such participation is appropriate, and more broadly, suggest that the laws of the Church and the authority of the vicar of Christ can be dismissed or disregarded without consequence,” he said.
William Newton, a theology professor and the chair of Franciscan University’s theology department, also argued that Catholics who attend SSPX Masses “collaborate” in the schism, though he noted that there are degrees of responsibility associated with it.
“Certainly, the culpability for this collaboration can vary as with any sin, because of ignorance or lack of freedom of will,” he said.
“However, the schismatic character of the SSPX has been confirmed by the Church, so ignorance, while still possible, cannot be assumed,” he added.
He noted that there are “alternative valid Masses available to the faithful,” which he said “makes the choice to attend an SSPX Mass that much more likely to be willful collaboration with schism.”
The faithful “should not attend a Mass of the SSPX,” he argued.
Bolster described the schism event as a “most unfortunate situation.”
He urged Catholics to “join Pope Leo in praying that the concerns which have motivated this division can be addressed without further loss of unity. “
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was last month even firmer in saying Catholics should not attend SSPX Masses.
In his exclusive interview with EWTN News just days before the illicit consecrations, the cardinal was asked what faithful drawn to SSPX Masses should do if a schism follows. Müller said forcefully that they “shouldn’t go, and cannot participate in the Masses of schismatic priests and bishops.”
Catholic accused of blasphemy dies in Pakistani custody
Pakistani Christians are mourning the death of a 61-year-old Catholic accused of blasphemy who died in custody after months of deteriorating health, renewing concerns over the treatment of vulnerable prisoners and the misuse of Pakistanʼs blasphemy laws.
Amir Peter, the younger brother of Capuchin Father Henry Paul, parish priest of St. Francis Church in Lahore, died July 1 after suffering severe medical complications while in judicial custody awaiting trial at Camp Jail in Lahore.
The father of three had been admitted to a hospital on the night of June 30 after his condition worsened.
Peter was arrested in July 2025 after a Muslim shopkeeper accused him of making derogatory remarks about the prophet Muhammad. He remained behind bars until his death, although his lawyers said medical experts had declared him mentally unfit to stand trial because of advanced dementia.
EWTN News contacted Peterʼs son, Tumaar Amir, who declined to comment.
More than 200 people attended Peterʼs funeral Mass on July 2, celebrated by Archbishop Khalid Rehmat of Lahore at St. Josephʼs Church.
“The whole Capuchin community and the Church are with Father Henry Paul and his family. We stand in solidarity with them,” said the newly appointed archbishop, who had returned to Lahore just a day earlier after receiving the pallium from Pope Leo XIV on June 29, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, at St. Peterʼs Basilica in Rome.
“We take pride in the fact that my brother didnʼt leave his Christian faith till the last moment,” Paul said.
According to Peterʼs legal team, his physical and mental health steadily deteriorated throughout his detention.
“He was falsely accused of blasphemy. We repeatedly highlighted his deteriorating physical and mental health and the urgent need for appropriate medical treatment. Regrettably, despite these efforts, he passed away before justice could be served,” Katherine Sapna, executive director of Christians' True Spirit, the legal aid organization representing Peter, told EWTN News.
“We mourn the loss of a man whose life was tragically cut short amid a flawed legal process. His serious medical condition was overlooked, and he was denied timely and adequate healthcare,” she said.
Sapna called on religious leaders, civil society organizations, and state institutions to work together to ensure that no one is deprived of dignity, due process, or essential medical care because of false accusations or social prejudice.
“The vulnerability of victims of the misused blasphemy laws is extreme. Mental illness offers no protection,” Samson Salamat, a Catholic and chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Religious Tolerance), told EWTN News after attending the funeral.
“The Punjab Institute of Mental Healthʼs medical board had already declared Peter unfit to stand trial. No one is safe from the misuse of these laws, not even a priestʼs brother. Instead of merely reacting to individual cases, Pakistan needs policy reforms. Otherwise, promises to protect religious minorities remain empty,” he said.
Concerns over the treatment of mentally ill prisoners
Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over the treatment of prisoners with mental illnesses in Pakistan.
In its World Report 2024, Human Rights Watch said that limited awareness of mental health contributes to the abuse and neglect of prisoners with psychosocial disabilities. The report also noted that Pakistani prisons face a severe shortage of mental health professionals and routinely fail to provide adequate psychological care.
Peterʼs death comes months after another prominent Christian blasphemy defendant died shortly after regaining his freedom.
In October 2025, Pastor Zafar Bhatti, founder of the Pakistan-based Jesus World Mission Church, died of cardiac arrest at his home in Rawalpindi three days after his release from prison, where he had spent 13 years facing blasphemy charges.
Peter’s Pence collected more than $65.8 million for the pope’s mission in 2025
Peter’s Pence, the Holy See’s fund that gathers donations for the pope’s charitable works and the needs of the universal Church, closed 2025 with an income of 57.6 million euros ($65.8 million) and expenses of 59.8 million euros ($68.3 million).
The Vatican attributes the 2.2-million-euro ($2.5 million) deficit to currency exchange rate fluctuations, according to a report published June 30. In 2024, 58 million euros ($66.3 million) were raised.
The donations received total 54.5 million euros ($62.3 million) and came primarily from dioceses around the world (63.6%), followed by foundations, private donors, and religious institutes. The remaining 3.1 million euros came from other income, according to the Vatican.
Contributions from the United States (14.2 million euros, or $16.2 million) were particularly notable, followed by those from other countries such as Italy, Brazil, South Korea, Germany, France, and Spain.
Most donations are channeled through parish collections, direct donations including transfers and online methods, and inheritance legacies.
Of the total donations, 41.2 million euros ($47.1 million) were used to support the activities of the Holy See in the service of the Holy Fatherʼs apostolic mission, and 13.3 million euros ($15.2 million) went to projects providing direct assistance to people in need in 74 countries.
A total of 252 projects were funded, with a special focus on evangelization, humanitarian aid, and the strengthening of local churches in need.
The projects supported by the Holy See include educational and social initiatives as well as support for ecclesial communities, particularly in Africa and Asia.
Aid in Europe also includes scholarships for priests, seminarians, and religious from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, as well as humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine.
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.
Thankful for abortion pill reversal: ‘We are grateful someone answered’
More than 200 women banded together to advocate for access to abortion pill reversal in response to California officials targeting the practice.
In abortion pill reversal, a patient who no longer desires abortion takes the hormone progesterone to save the life of her child after she has taken the first chemical abortion pill. In recent years, abortion pill reversal awareness has been targeted in the states of California and Colorado.
In an open letter, 225 women who have been helped by the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN) expressed their gratitude for being able to access abortion pill reversal.
“The healthcare professionals who spoke with us, whether doctor, nurse, or staff, treated us with compassion and respect,” the letter read. “They provided information about a medical protocol that might help preserve our pregnancies.”
“We were free to accept or decline that care,” the letter continued. “We made our own choices.”
“We reached out because we wanted to know if there was any possibility of continuing our pregnancies after taking mifepristone,” the letter read. “We are grateful that someone answered.”
The women expressed disagreement with the idea that information about abortion pill reversal is harmful.
“Women facing difficult and time-sensitive decisions deserve access to information about all of their options,” the letter read.
The women were responding to allegations in a California lawsuit that abortion pill reversal aid was misleading, according to a press release by the pregnancy help center network Heartbeat International, which manages the APRN.
“More than 40 of those women are Californians, from the very state where Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking to silence Heartbeat International … and punish its speech about abortion pill reversal,” the press release read.
Abortion pill reversal is not always successful, though Heartbeat International says the success rate is 64%-68%.
“Some of us gave birth to children we cherish today. Others did not experience the outcome they hoped for,” the women wrote. “Yet regardless of the outcome, we are thankful that we were informed of an option and allowed to decide for ourselves.”
Shield laws allow hundreds of thousands of abortion pills to be sent to states that protect life
A recent report found that since 2023 nearly 330,000 abortion pills were shipped to states with laws that protect unborn children.
These shipments came from mail-order abortionists who are protected by shield laws in states such as New York and California.
The report, by the Restoration of America Foundation, estimates that “out-of-state abortionists send nearly 15,000 chemical abortion pills per month into states with pro-life laws,” according to the report shared with EWTN News.
The report calls on the Trump administration to “act swiftly and decisively.”
“If pro-life states have no power to protect their women and babies from rogue abortionists thousands of miles away, the situation they find themselves in is not better than before the Dobbs decision — itʼs worse,” the report read.
U.S. Senate to consider expansion of Mexico City Policy
The U.S. Senate is considering an expansion of the Mexico City Policy, which requires federally-funded aid organizations to refrain from promoting or providing abortions in order to receive federal aid.
The bill, if passed, would prevent U.S. foreign assistance from being used to fund or promote abortion as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as gender ideology.
“U.S. foreign assistance programs have been exploited as a loophole to promote far-left, radical ideology on the dime of American taxpayers for far too long,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, who introduced the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance Act.
Army captain sentenced for poisoning his pregnant girlfriend with abortion pill
An Army captain was sentenced to prison for poisoning his pregnant girlfriend with chemical abortion drugs.
Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his unborn child, along with other charges including domestic violence.
Jones-Adams obtained the chemical abortion drugs from an online provider by using a fake name. The unborn baby, who was 13 weeks old, did not survive the forced abortion.
1 in 3 pregnancies end in abortion in England and Wales
The lives of nearly 1 in 3 unborn babies end in abortion, according to recent statistics from England and Wales.
In 2023, a rate of 32.1% of conceptions ended in abortion in England and Wales. Abortion has been on a steady increase there since 2015, according to the statistics from the England and Wales Office for National Statistics.
“The rise in abortions since the pandemic has been linked to the availability of at-home abortions with the ‘pills by post’ scheme,” according to a report by CARE, a London-based Christian organization that aims to bring truth and grace into politics. “This allows women to receive medication to terminate a pregnancy up to 10 weeks after a phone or online consultation with a medical professional.”
Delaware Catholics battle abortion, celebrate wins
Delaware Catholics are opposing an abortion amendment; meanwhile, the state has made a legal agreement not to target pregnancy centers.
The Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network urged Catholics to oppose a recently proposed abortion bill that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
Meanwhile, Delaware officials agreed to a court order banning them from enforcing a law against pregnancy centers, settling a lawsuit brought by the centers.
Only 1 Planned Parenthood clinic to remain in Iowa
Planned Parenthood will shrink to a single clinic in Iowa at the end of this month, the organization announced earlier this week.
Planned Parenthood North Central States officials cited “declining and unstable funding streams” as well as a recent Trump administration move to defund the organization through the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program.
Priest explains how to read the Bible without getting lost in the process
Father Valentín Aparicio, vice rector of the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain and an expert in biblical archaeology, explained how to read the Bible “without getting lost in the process.”
Known as “Un cura de Toledo” (“A Priest from Toledo”) on social media — where he has thousands of followers — Aparicio shared his advice during an interview on the podcast “Se buscan rebeldes” (“Rebels Wanted”), hosted by fellow Spanish priest Ignacio Amorós.
During the conversation, Amorós defined the Bible as the “bestseller” that never goes out of style, a “fiery book that has changed history” and that tells the story of Godʼs love for humanity.
However, he also pointed out that many Catholics have difficulty understanding it and that some even become scandalized when reading certain passages of the Old Testament.
Considering this, Aparicio advised those who want to read and understand sacred Scripture: Start with the Gospel of Luke.
Reading this Gospel, which recounts the life of Jesus, followed by the Acts of the Apostles, helps one “gain a fairly clear and comprehensive idea of what the New Testament is.”
“There are times when we do not understand the Bible, but it’s because of the cultural gap that exists. We must remember that some parts of the Bible date back roughly to the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age,” Aparicio pointed out.
Due to that distance in time and culture “so immense and so wild,” in the words of the priest, “if someone doesnʼt take me by the hand, I donʼt know how to navigate it.” Because of this, he emphasized the importance of having guidance while reading and tools that facilitate understanding, such as those available on the internet.
The priest said his YouTube channel features a series of lessons in which he explains the chapters of Genesis.
He emphasized that reading the Bible is not merely about “stringing words together” but about discovering “what God wants to tell you there.”
He drew a comparison with cinema: “What makes a movie good or bad?” he asked. “If a movie is simply a collection of film frames, you end up bored, because you can’t put up with two hours of watching frames. You need a plot, a narrative, a common thread that connects all the frames.”
In his view, the same holds true for the Bible. Its various books are not isolated accounts but rather form part of a single story with profound internal unity. That unity, he explained, is defined by the Hebrew concept of “berit,” or covenant: God’s desire to establish a covenant of love with every human being.
“In the Book of Genesis, the first book, God begins by creating the world; and in the Book of Revelation, the last book, he culminates with a new creation, restoring his plan and returning us to the paradise we had lost. Throughout the entire Bible, we witness the reclaiming of that lost paradise,” he explained.
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.
How the American Revolution changed the future of Catholics in America
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the nation’s founding offers a reminder that one of the beneficiaries of the American Revolution was a religious minority once viewed with deep suspicion: Catholics.
Long before the First Amendment guaranteed the free exercise of religion, in many of Britain’s American colonies, Catholics were barred from holding public office, restricted from voting, and often prohibited from openly practicing their faith. Anti-Catholic laws, rooted in centuries of conflict between England and the Catholic Church, left many Catholics viewed with suspicion, their loyalty questioned simply because of their faith.
Yet within a generation, a Catholic priest would become the first bishop of the United States, a Catholic would sign the Declaration of Independence, and the nation’s first president would push Congress to officially recognize and authorize Catholic and Protestant chaplains.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, historians say the American Revolution marked a dramatic turning point for religious liberty — especially for Catholics.
Washington’s push for chaplains
When Gen. George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army in 1775, the colonies were religiously diverse but overwhelmingly Protestant. Nevertheless, Washington understood that faith was essential to the lives of the soldiers under his command.
At his urging, the Continental Congress voted on July 29, 1775, to appoint a chaplain for every regiment in the Continental Army.
The measure was practical. Chaplains preached, celebrated worship services, comforted the wounded, buried the dead, and reminded soldiers of the moral principles for which they fought.
But it also represented something larger.
For perhaps the first time in American history, the revolutionary government acknowledged that citizens serving their country should not have to abandon their religious convictions.
Although nearly all of the early chaplains were Protestant ministers, the principle established by Congress — that the government should accommodate the religious lives of its soldiers rather than suppress them — set an important precedent for religious freedom.
Father John Carroll and a new place for Catholics
Born in Maryland in 1735, John Carroll belonged to one of the few Catholic families that had managed to flourish despite legal restrictions.
Unable to receive a Catholic education in the colonies, he studied in Europe with the Jesuits before returning home as a priest.
In 1776, the Continental Congress asked Carroll to accompany Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carroll — John Carroll’s cousin — and Samuel Chase on a diplomatic mission to Canada.
His presence was deliberate.
Congress recognized that a Catholic priest could help build trust among French-Canadian Catholics and demonstrate that the American Revolution was not a Protestant movement hostile to the Catholic faith.
Although the mission ultimately failed to persuade Canada to join the Revolution, it sent an important message: Catholics had a place in the American experiment.
Catholics prove their loyalty
The Revolution gave Catholics the opportunity to challenge long-held prejudices against them.
Many colonial Protestants had inherited generations of anti-Catholic sentiment from England. Catholics were often portrayed as politically unreliable because of their allegiance to the pope.
The Revolution, however, forced Americans to reconsider those assumptions.
The patriot cause depended upon an alliance with Catholic France. The Continental Congress sought support from the largely Catholic population of Quebec. And American Catholics demonstrated that they, too, were committed to independence.
One of the clearest examples was Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
A wealthy Maryland planter, Charles Carroll had long faced legal restrictions because of his faith, including limits on holding public office under British rule. By affixing his name to the Declaration, he risked both his considerable fortune and his life in support of the patriot cause.
Charles Carroll’s signature became a powerful answer to those who questioned whether Catholics could be loyal citizens of the new republic, demonstrating that devotion to the Catholic faith and commitment to American independence could go hand in hand.
Washington’s vision of religious liberty
Washington’s commitment to religious liberty became even clearer after the Revolution.
Writing in 1790 to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, Washington rejected the idea that religious minorities merely deserved tolerance. Instead, he wrote that the government of the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
Those words represented a profound departure from the European model, where governments often granted limited tolerance while still favoring one established religion.
Washington envisioned something different: equal protection for citizens regardless of their faith.
For Catholics, whose ancestors had endured generations of legal discrimination under British rule, the promise carried enormous significance.
Carroll becomes first American bishop
That same spirit shaped the future of the Catholic Church in the United States.
In 1789, Pope Pius VI appointed Father John Carroll the first bishop of the United States.
Rather than viewing American democracy with suspicion, Carroll embraced the opportunities offered by constitutional protections for religious liberty.
He established Georgetown College, promoted Catholic education, encouraged the formation of parishes, and urged Catholics to become active participants in civic life.
Carroll believed the Church could flourish precisely because the government neither established nor persecuted religion.
His confidence proved well-founded.
Within decades, the Catholic Church would grow from a tiny and often mistrusted minority into one of the nation’s largest religious communities.
A legacy for the next 250 years
The American Revolution did not eliminate anti-Catholic prejudice overnight. Catholics continued to face discrimination well into the 19th century.
Yet the Revolution fundamentally changed their legal status.
The same nation that had once inherited England’s suspicion of Catholics gradually embraced the principle that citizenship did not depend upon religious affiliation.
Washington’s support for military chaplains, his rejection of religious prejudice, and his vision of equal liberty helped lay that foundation. Bishop John Carroll, in turn, demonstrated that Catholics could faithfully serve both the Church and the new republic.
Together, their stories remind Americans that religious freedom was not simply one of the nation’s founding ideals — it became one of its greatest achievements.
Nicaraguan dictatorship detains Bishop Abelardo Mata again
Nicaraguan police detained Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata again on June 30, just one day after his initial detention and subsequent release on June 29. The 80-year-old prelate is reportedly now under house arrest.
Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, was arrested at a clinic where he had gone for a checkup for his pacemaker. This occurred the day after he celebrated a Mass in which he prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua, an act that may have provoked the ire of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
Following the new detention, the bishop is reportedly under house arrest at his home in the town of Tisma, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.
In addition to the bishop, Father Francisco Morales, pastor of Calvary’s Cross Church in Estelí, where Mata celebrated Mass on June 28, and Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez were also detained. Both were released but remain subject to conditions.
“Bishop Mata holds no administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Estelí but continues to assist that diocese with its pastoral needs. He thus went to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the request of the parish priest. However, the Sandinista dictatorship has forbidden him from being in the department of Estelí,” Martha Patricia Molina explained on July 2 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. She is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against Catholics since 2018.
Molina further highlighted that “the Diocese of Estelí has always been a target of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship due to the hatred the dictatorial couple harbors toward Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, the apostolic administrator. Although Álvarez is not voicing opinions, the dictatorship views him as a constant focus of their attention.”
Álvarez, apostolic administrator of Estelí since 2021, following Mata’s resignation, currently lives in Rome after being exiled in January 2024 while serving a 26-year prison sentence. The prelate was a consistent critic of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
Even though Álvarez is living in exile, Pope Francis confirmed him in his position as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí.
Molina also told ACI Prensa that the situation in Estelí “is being aggravated because Mata has been critical of the arbitrary actions committed by the Sandinista dictatorship. Currently, we only learn of 10% of the attacks committed against the Catholic Church because the rest go unreported due to the fear and caution priests and laypeople have about speaking out in the news media or on social media.”
The researcher noted that the number of reports could reach “400 a day” if Catholics were able to speak freely in public.
The ‘dire’ situation in Estelí
Molina noted that the dictatorship is now persecuting the Church in a different way: “They had stopped abducting priests, but now they have gone back to it; furthermore, there are cases of priests having to report to police stations to give statements, and also there’s the constant monitoring and harassment of priests across the countryʼs various dioceses by the police.”
The researcher pointed out that the Diocese of Estelí, “the one most persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship after Matagalpa,” is currently forced to “operate without [its bishop] and with only 42% of its clergy. This makes pastoral work difficult and places a heavier workload on the active priests.”
These priests must also take on “the duties of those who are in exile due to persecution, those who have passed away, or those who, for one reason or another, are not exercising their ministry in Nicaragua,” she pointed out.
“The situation is worsening because the Sandinista dictatorship has banned diaconal and priestly ordinations in that diocese,” she emphasized. Ordinations are also forbidden in Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Siuna. None of the four dioceses has its bishop present, as they have all been exiled from Nicaragua.
The need to be vigilant
“We have to remain vigilant regarding Bishop Mata because his health is fragile and requires professional care. What worries me is that the last individuals who have been under surveillance by the dictatorship or the police have ended up in worse condition or even dead,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 2.
A recent example of this situation is the case of Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner whom the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship held incommunicado for over 970 days. He passed away in late May at the age of 73, following several statements from the regime regarding his critical health condition.
“If the dictatorship’s actions are not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to bring about the death of Bishop Mata, as they harbor deep resentment toward this man of God because of his courage and clarity for many years,” McFields emphasized.
An exiled Nicaraguan priest who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals told ACI Prensa that the situation involving Mata “is sad, but it can also be viewed as a sign of the fear the dictatorship has of an elderly bishop, an 80-year-old (with health issues) because his presence as a shepherd strengthens the lives of the faithful,” ensuring that “the faith remains alive.”
The priest emphasized that he continues to prepare “our hearts for a future in which we can rebuild the Church in Nicaragua not only socially but also through faith because spiritual and pastoral reconstruction work must also be done.”
Call for release
Félix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, issued “an urgent call to the international community, human rights organizations, the world’s democracies, and all people of goodwill to remain vigilant, demand the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata and all arbitrarily detained members of the clergy, and firmly condemn this new escalation of repression.”
“Nicaragua cannot normalize a dictatorship imprisoning priests, silencing pulpits, and persecuting the faith. The moral voice of the Church has historically stood with the Nicaraguan people during their most difficult times, and that is precisely why the regime seeks to intimidate it,” Maradiaga told ACI Prensa.
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.