Pope Leo XIV calls on Knights of Columbus to be ‘prophets of harmony’
Pope Leo XIV called on the Knights of Columbus to be “prophets of harmony” by promoting the virtues of unity and charity.
“I express deep gratitude for your orders, continued generosity to the less fortunate, and trust that your endeavors will continue to bear fruit for many years to come,” the Holy Father said in a video message.
The message was shared with Knights and observers at the Knights of Columbus’ 144th Supreme Convention held this year in Denver.
The Catholic fraternal organization’s annual convention, Aug. 4–6, includes Masses, prayer services, an awards session celebrating member and council achievements, and the organizationʼs annual report.
“As you gather for these days of discussion, fraternity, and prayer under the theme of ‘In the One We Are One,’ I would like to reflect briefly with you on the importance of promoting the virtues of unity and charity, two foundational principles of your order,” the Holy Father said.
Recalling Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper that his apostles “all be one,” the Holy Father urged unity.
“Our Lord asked that this gift of unity be given not only to them but also to those who would believe in him through their word throughout the centuries. However, the preservation of unity is often not easy and it cannot be taken for granted. It must be actively cultivated through honest and humble dialogue.”
The pope encouraged the Knights “to continue bearing witness to that concord which Jesus so ardently desires,” within families, parishes, and wider communities.
“In an age all too often marked by division and pointed rhetoric, thereʼs a great need for prophets of harmony who seek to build bridges and strive to reconcile opposing positions wherever possible.”
Reflecting on the second virtue, “works of charity,” Pope Leo said it “can often be a way to promote unity.”
Charity “becomes not only a response to human suffering but also a powerful means of fostering fraternity and strengthening the communion that is at the heart of the Christian life,” Pope Leo said.
“Your own history bears eloquent testimony to this truth,” he said.
The Holy Father highlighted the Knights’ continued mission started by its “noble founder,” Blessed Michael McGivney.
The “Knights of Columbus have worked together for well over a century to show Christʼs love to the unborn, expectant mothers, persecuted Christians, victims of war and human trafficking, the poor and vulnerable, and those who live in the margins of society,” he said.
“Through the initiatives undertaken by your local councils, as well as at the national and international levels, countless people have benefited from your kindness.”
Pope Leo concluded offering “cordial, good wishes for the work of the Supreme Convention” and entrusting the gathering to the intercession of Mary, mother of the Church.
Archbishop Lori also issues call for charity
Ahead of the convention, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore celebrated Mass on Aug. 1 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver.
The archbishop also called on the Knights to draw from McGivney’s witness to charity.
McGivney “made charity the first principle of his ministry as a parish priest and charity the first principle of the Knights of Columbus,” Lori said in his homily.
“For he knew and ardently believed that in all things the love of Christ conquers. It is this vision, this charism, that he breathed into the Knights of Columbus and it is reflected today in the immensity of the order’s charity,” he said.
“Today, Father McGivney’s holiness is reflected in the Christ-like charity of the Knights of Columbus, rendered on a scale that Father McGivney could not have imagined,” he said. McGivney “set in motion a fraternal organization rooted in the charity of Christ, a fellowship that would reflect the utter generosity of God’s love,” Lori said.
Bishops issue new calls for recognition of immigrants’ human dignity and immigration reform
In response to increased immigration enforcement measures throughout the country, two U.S. Catholic bishops have issued fresh statements affirming the human dignity of immigrants as children of God and calling for immigration reform.
Both prelates said Americans should understand why people flee their home countries in search of a better life while acknowledging the nation’s right to enforce its immigration laws. The current situation, however, is unjust, immoral, and must be fixed, both men emphasized.
On Aug. 3, the centennial anniversary of the elevation of San Antonio to a metropolitan archdiocese, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller released a pastoral letter expressing the Church’s solidarity with migrants and calling for the “careful and well-formed moral discernment of every Catholic conscience” in response.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 1, Bishop Robert Gruss of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, issued a statement in which he reminded the faithful of the “inherent human dignity” of every person.
Gruss said the current “challenge” facing the United States, which has “consistently received immigrants, refugees, exiles, and the persecuted from other lands” throughout its history, is “how to deal with a situation when one administration has allowed individuals and families to migrate … freely and the next administration wants their removal.”
The bishop wrote that the removal of “immigrants who have caused harm to society by participating in criminal activity” is understandable, but asked if it is “fair to remove those who are and have been contributing to society in a positive way, oftentimes for many years?”
He said that a “just and civil society” would not allow the deportation or detention of people “without cause” or “meaningful legal representation, without access to family or a supportive community, and without basic human needs being met.”
He urged the faithful to “push for public policy changes that secure civil rights for all immigrants” and “humane border enforcement policies” that simultaneously uphold national security while protecting the “safety and dignity” of those who come to the country to work.
‘We will come to you’
García-Siller promulgated his letter, titled “We Will Come to You: United in Solidarity with Our Brothers and Sisters in Migration,” at a Mass at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio.
“We are living in a world of war,” the letter began. “Across continents, people are dying every day. Across borders, survivors are forced to migrate. They do not leave by choice, but because of violence, hunger, fear, and oppression.”
In the 56-page letter, composed of five sections and concluding with a prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, García-Siller said he prayed “for a long time” before writing, saying he wanted to write from “the right place, one of accompaniment and solidarity.”
He said the letter addresses an “unprecedented” time in the country, writing that “a convergence of structural and legal tactics … calls for the careful and well-formed moral discernment of every Catholic conscience.”
“I write to comfort the afflicted, to ignite the comfortable, and to confront injustice with the full conviction of the Gospel.”
He went on to cite his personal experience of “years walking alongside” migrants, many of whom are living in so much fear they rarely leave their homes, as well as his own story as a migrant himself.
The archbishop wrote that he has witnessed a “fear that has taken root” across the archdiocese, saying he and other pastors “pray with parents who embrace their children each morning unsure if they will be home at night,” and describing parents who avoid taking children to the doctor or to go to work “because each mile carries risk.”
“The community bears this cross, and the Church cannot be silent,” he wrote, describing declining Mass attendance and the worsening physical health of those who suffer fear related to immigration.
“The people have not lost their faith,” he wrote. “Many, however, have lost their sense of safety and belonging.”
The Church must “defend the dignity of those caught in the machinery of removal,” he emphasized.
García-Siller described visiting three detention centers in the area, including the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, the largest family detention center in the nation, saying he’s witnessed "firsthand, violations of human dignity within their walls.”
He went on to quote Bishop Steven Biegler of the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who wrote in a pastoral letter in April that “‘the current campaign of mass detention and deportations is immoral.’”
García-Siller accused private corporations of profiting from the processing and movement of large numbers of detained immigrants from one site to another.
He also cited an investigation by U.S. Sen. John Ossoff, D-Georgia, which documented more than 1,000 “credible reports of human rights abuses since January 2025, including “medical neglect, denial of food and water, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and the separation of breastfeeding mothers from their infants,” as well as similar abuses in privately-run sites.
García-Siller called the public narrative that only criminals are being removed “misleading,” writing that “73% of those in immigration detention have no criminal conviction, and only 5% have been convicted of a violent crime.”
He described how pastors, deacons, extraordinary ministers, and trained catechists are developing “active ministries of accompaniment” in the archdiocese, visiting migrants in their homes, bringing the sacraments along with medicines and other supplies, as well as in detention centers.
“If your family has been detained, tell us. We will go to them. The Body of Christ does not abandon its members in chains,” García-Siller declared.
The archbishop went on to lament that existing legal pathways take years to navigate, years that families cannot afford to wait as they seek safety and stability. He called for more accessible legal pathways, saying migrants would take those pathways if they were available. Migrants’ “contribution to the common good of our nation” demands such, he wrote.
At the end of the letter, García-Siller entrusted the situation to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who herself crossed borders of culture and race and walked the road of exile with the Holy Family: “Long before she was Queen of Mexico … she was a mother who crossed a border. She knows this road; she walked it with her own feet.”
Spokane Bishop Daly calls for prayers amid ‘devastating’ wildfires in Washington state
Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, is urging prayers and support for those affected by major wildfires near the diocese and throughout Washington state.
Data from the Washington state government as of Aug. 4 showed more than a dozen “large fires” throughout the state with more than 13,500 acres burned since July 31. The state has seen more than half a million acres burn to date in 2026.
Several large fires were burning mostly north and west of Spokane, which is located in the eastern part of the state just several miles from the Idaho border. The blazes have consumed hundreds of structures and forced thousands of local residents to evacuate.
In an Aug. 3 letter to the diocese, Daly — who has served as the bishop there since 2015 — urged locals to “join me in praying for our neighbors who have been forced to evacuate, those who have lost homes or property, and all whose lives have been disrupted by these fires.”
The bishop also urged prayers for emergency responders including firefighters, doctors, and volunteers, whose “courage and selfless service” he described as “a profound witness to the goodness that shines even in moments of great uncertainty.”
Full scale of crisis ‘yet to unfold,’ bishop says
Speaking to EWTN News on Aug. 4, Daly said he and Diocese of Spokane Vicar General Father Darrin Connall toured parts of the devastated region with a police escort on Aug. 3.
“We’re used to fires, but mostly wildfires — it’s usually the countryside and the forest,” the bishop said. But in the latest conflagration, “blocks and blocks” of residential homes have been completely leveled.
“The reality is that home after home after home — they’re completely gone,” he said.
Local Church leaders, he said, are now confronted with the major task of not just attending to the immediate emergency needs of displaced residents but helping them figure out what their lives will look like weeks or months from now.
“Where are the people going to live? What about schools starting in a few weeks?” he said. “What’s it like to have Thanksgiving with no place to go? Clearly it’s going to be a couple years before homes are rebuilt.”
“There’s a lot still that will be a source of stress and difficulty for people. We’re beginning to see how to respond to the immediate needs and how we’re going to respond to the struggle that is yet to unfold.”
The bishop said no lives have yet been reported lost and that the two Catholic parishes in the affected region have been spared.
‘We’re not equipped to fight these fires’
Shane Stocking, the fire chief of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue near Spokane, said in an interview with EWTN News on Aug. 4 that the region has suffered “apocalyptic devastation.”
The fires burning in the area, he said, are “wind-driven” and unpredictable.
“We’re talking about the type of fire that will spare one home and take two, spare another home and take three,” he said. “It’s picking and choosing. It’s not casually running up to houses. It’s ember- and wind-driven. It’s spreading half a mile or more ahead of itself and picking homes to ignite.”
Stocking said that as of Aug. 4 firefighters estimate that they have stopped the “forward progression” of the several large fires in the area. “It doesn’t mean they’re out or contained,” he said. “It means we’re going to hold them where they’re at.”
He described the chaos of the fire’s advance as “unprecedented.”
“It’s run-and-gun for our homes and run-and-gun for our lives,” he said. “There are no resources that exist that are going to stop these fires. It’s super abnormal.”
The chief said firefighters in the field are forced to make grim calculations when attempting to stay ahead of the blaze.
“As a leadership officer, you’re having to choose which homes you’re going to let burn down and which ones you’re going to save,” he said. “It’s very, very tough for me, and very, very tough for our firefighters. Some homes are going off half a mile away.”
“We’re very good at fighting house fires in the Spokane region,” he said. “But we’re not equipped to fight three wind-driven fires burning ahead of us all at the same time. I have no words.”
In his letter to the diocese, Daly urged residents to follow guidance from local leaders and to “heed evacuation orders” if they are given. He further called on Catholics in the diocese to be “people of hope.”
“Even amid tragedy and uncertainty, Christ remains with us. May he bring comfort to those who are suffering, strength to those serving on the front lines, and peace to every anxious,” he said.
Also in Spokane, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington appealed for donations to respond to the crisis. The charity group, which operates near downtown Spokane, said “many of [its] clients and residents have been affected,” including some Catholic Charities staff.
The group said it had set up an emergency fund to help provide essential supplies, housing, and long-term assistance to those affected by the fire.
“This is a moment where we are asking for our entire community to lean in with us during this very difficult time,” the group said.
On Aug. 3 the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced that it had arrested a 37-year-old local man on arson charges in connection with one of the fires in the area.
The individual is suspected of starting the “Old Trails Fire” located west of Spokane. That fire started on Aug. 1 and has consumed around 3,600 acres so far. It was still listed as “active” on Aug. 4.
Stocking, meanwhile, urged homeowners around the country to be aware of the “new normal” of major, fast-spreading fires.
He pointed to the 2025 Palisades fire in California and the 2023 fire that laid waste to Lāhainā in Hawaii as examples.
“We need to prepare our homes,” Stocking said. “Make your homes defensible, clean up, take out brush, and you have to be ready to leave. No amount of firefighters can stop a fire like this.”
Cardinal says Nigeria’s president has rejected bishops’ concerns about state of country
ABUJA, Nigeria — Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) delivered a candid assessment of the country’s economic, security, and political challenges to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but the head of state made it clear that he disagreed with the bishops’ diagnosis, according to Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Speaking to ARISE NEWS on July 31, Onaiyekan said the president responded directly to the concerns raised by the Catholic bishops during a July 28 meeting at the State House in Abuja and made it clear that he did not share their assessment of the situation in the country.
The cardinal said the CBCN members nevertheless considered it their responsibility to speak honestly about the realities facing Nigerians.
“When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the head of state,” Onaiyekan said.
He explained that while the bishops told Tinubu that the economy was failing to adequately support poor Nigerians, the president maintained that the economy was doing well.
“Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us,” the cardinal said.
Bishops’ message was widely consulted
Onaiyekan emphasized that the statement presented to Tinubu was not the opinion of a handful of bishops but the outcome of extensive consultation within CBCN members.
The Nigerian cardinal, who retired from his episcopal ministry as archbishop of Abuja in November 2019, said the document had been written, reviewed, and corrected before being presented to the president.
“It was not done at random, nor did we deliver it with levity. As bishops, we have no ambitions to take Mr. Tinubu’s job or anybody else’s job. We are not politicians running for office,” the cardinal said.
Rather, he explained, the CBCN members see it as part of their responsibility as religious leaders to address issues affecting both Catholics and the wider Nigerian population.
“We feel we have a duty — not just to preach our religious doctrines, but also to address the lives of our people, both those who are our members and those who are not,” he said.
Bishops had a duty to tell the president the truth
Onaiyekan said he was not surprised that Tinubu appeared unhappy while listening to the bishops’ presentation, arguing that they deliberately chose to communicate the realities they see among Nigerians rather than offer the president a favorable picture.
“We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.
The 82-year-old archbishop emeritus of Abuja expressed concern that some people around the president may be giving him an overly positive assessment of the situation in Nigeria.
“We felt that we have a duty not to do that. Indeed, we have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves,” the cardinal said.
Despite the disagreement, Onaiyekan said the bishops were encouraged by the fact that the president responded to the issues they raised, indicating that he had heard their concerns.
“He heard it, and he tried to tell us that he heard us, which is precisely why he replied the way he replied,” he said.
The cardinal expressed hope that people close to the president would encourage him to reflect further on the bishops’ concerns.
“We believe one of the problems within our government right now is that there are not too many people telling him the truth,” he said.
Bishops warn against one-party dominance
Onaiyekan also defended the bishops’ warning about what they described as the “creeping danger” of a one-party dominant state in Nigeria.
He said the concern was linked to the conduct of elections and the growing use of the powers of incumbency, stressing that electoral victory should not be pursued at the expense of democratic principles.
The cardinal questioned the notion that “in politics, all is fair,” saying that political competition must remain subject to standards of propriety.
“If that is what politics is — that in politics everything can be done provided you win elections — that is certainly not correct,” he said.
He warned that if Nigeria failed to reform its electoral system to guarantee free, fair, and credible elections, the country could face serious difficulties.
“We warned that the country doesn’t gain anything by a one-party state in a so-called democracy,” the cardinal said.
He clarified that the bishops were not asking Tinubu to assist opposition parties in defeating his administration but were insisting that the president should be treated as a candidate like any other during elections despite the advantages of incumbency.
Onaiyekan questions INEC’s independence
Responding to Tinubu’s defense of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Onaiyekan questioned whether the electoral body can be perceived as fully independent under Nigeria’s current appointment system.
The cardinal noted that the president appoints the chairman, members, and commissioners of INEC, arguing that this arrangement creates doubts about the commission’s impartiality.
“The presumption is that Mr. President will appoint independent, impartial, wonderful people. But on the ground, we see that standard politicians and members of his party are appointed,” he said.
Onaiyekan called for consideration of a system in which members of the electoral commission would be selected by a genuinely independent body.
He said such reforms are possible and have been implemented elsewhere.
The cardinal also challenged Tinubu to live up to his reputation as a pro-democracy figure by strengthening institutions that guarantee credible elections.
“You have a reputation to be a democrat, and you can’t under your watch watch our democratic structures disintegrate,” he said.
Bishops united despite political differences
Onaiyekan insisted that the CBCN members were not acting at the behest of any political party. He acknowledged that individual bishops may have their own political preferences but said they were united in addressing issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians.
“When it comes to what is important for Nigeria, when it comes to our existential existence, when it comes to the life of our people, we are united,” he said.
According to the cardinal, the bishops believe Nigerians deserve better in terms of economic well-being, security, and governance.
Cardinal defends National Peace Committee
The cardinal, who is involved in Nigeria’s National Peace Committee, also defended the relevance of the body ahead of the forthcoming Osun state governorship election.
While acknowledging concerns that political actors sometimes sign peace accords and subsequently fail to respect their commitments, he said the committee remains useful and should be strengthened.
“My own conclusion is that it is useful, and we must find a way of reviving it,” he said.
‘We have delivered our message’
Despite the disagreement between CBCN members and Tinubu, Onaiyekan said the Catholic Church had fulfilled its responsibility by bringing the concerns of Nigerians directly to the head of state.
“We have delivered our message, and we are quite convinced that it will not go for nothing,” he said.
The cardinal expressed hope that the bishops’ intervention would eventually contribute to changes in Nigeria’s political, economic, and security landscape.
“At least we have expressed the feelings of many Nigerians who have no way of meeting Mr. President,” he said.
“We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
Priest murdered, followed by kidnappings at Mass in Nigeria
Two violent attacks against the Catholic Church in Nigeria have been perpetrated in less than a week. A priest was killed and days later, on Aug. 2, gunmen stormed a Mass and abducted several people.
According to the Vatican agency Fides, the slain priest was Father Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro of the Diocese of Lokoja in Kogi state.
“With deep sorrow but with firm faith in the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” on July 30 the Diocese of Lokoja announced “the passing unto eternal glory” of Oyetoro.
Details of the murder were released by state police spokesperson and assistant superintendent Afusat Oyiza Salihu. “On July 29, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., the police received information regarding the discovery of a manʼs lifeless body along Church Road in Ajaokuta,” Salihu said.
Salihu added that police arrived quickly at the scene and confirmed that the victim “had severe machete wounds to the head.” The body was taken to ASCL Hospital, where the priest’s death was pronounced.
According to Salihu, “the investigation is ongoing,” and they are working “to apprehend those responsible.”
“Once the preliminary investigation is concluded, the case will be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further proceedings,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the governor of Kogi state, Ahmed Ododo, condemned the killing, describing it as “an atrocious and unacceptable act,” according to Fides.
Gunmen storm a Mass
While the local Church was mourning the priestʼs death, still another incident of violence shook Nigerian Catholics.
Fides also reported that on Sunday, Aug. 2, at least seven gunmen stormed St. Joseph’s Church in Inoyi Affa, Enugu state, during the morning Mass.
The attackers abducted three people: a seminarian, a catechist, and a parishioner.
Several attendees at the Mass attempted to pursue the kidnappers but abandoned the effort upon realizing the assailants were armed and to avoid further endangering the lives of the hostages, according to Fides.
Police launched a search operation that led to the release of the catechist. However, seminarian Lawrence Chidera Igbo and a parishioner identified only as Emmanuel remain in captivity.
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.
Priests who experienced church desecrations firsthand address how best to react
Two priests who experienced firsthand recent acts of desecration at the Medjugorje Shrine and a Mexican parish have addressed the issue of how Catholics should best respond to such acts.
Father Manuel Navarro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, was at the renowned Marian shrine on the night of July 27–28 when the Polish national Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak allegedly vandalized a statue of the Virgin Mary and set fire to an outdoor altar located next to the local parish church.
“We were all shocked because we didnʼt know why it had happened,” Navarro explained in an interview with EWTN News, describing how images and videos began reaching him that morning.
Despite the emotional impact, the priest highlighted how “within minutes and hours, volunteers from the Cenacolo Community, along with pilgrim volunteers, set about cleaning and clearing everything away,” allowing devotional activities to proceed normally by that afternoon.
When asked how to respond to such attacks, Navarro said he felt the statement released by the parish that day rightly identified three key elements: prayer, fasting, and forgiveness.
“First, prayer for all those who commit attacks” not only in the physical sense, as in this most recent incident, but also bearing in mind that “every day there are attacks against the Most Holy Virgin in many ways, and we must also pray for the conversion of hearts.”
Secondly, Navarro added that “fasting makes us humble,” an attitude that counters the temptation to believe ourselves “superior to others.” Finally, regarding forgiveness, the Spanish priest stated that Medjugorje is “a place of reconciliation” that calls upon us to forgive those who offend us; otherwise, “the message is undermined if we take justice into our own hands.”
In conclusion, Navarro noted, the act of desecration served as an occasion to recall that “God brings good out of evil” — a providence made evident through the cooperation of all those present, which made it possible to celebrate a Mass of reparation at the desecrated altar that very afternoon.
Meanwhile, Father Gerardo Martínez, the St. Bonaventure Parish priest in Mexico’s Diocese of Saltillo, reflected on the attack carried out in the early hours of July 28 against the statue of the parishʼs patron saint, which was beheaded.
Martínez explained to EWTN News that during the month of July — which is dedicated to this saint and bishop — the statue is placed on a cart in the parish courtyard so that the faithful can approach to venerate it.
The parish responded with a statement encouraging prayers “for the person who committed this outrage” and urging everyone “to continue walking in the light of faith, creating bonds, ties, and better ways of living as a society and as a Christian community,” Martínez explained.
Facing this moment of “pain and sadness,” Martínez said the next step is to “strengthen our faith” and our sense of fraternity, and to “be signs of communion,” because such a profanation “is undoubtedly outrageous and distressing, yet it also strengthens us.”
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.
Why St. John Vianney is a model for all priests
A century after the patron saint of priests, St. John Vianney, died on Aug. 4, 1859, Pope John XXIII reflected on the life of the saint and what it means to be a holy priest.
In contemplating his life, one immediately thinks of a priest who lived out great penance and whose “only motives were the love of God and the desire for the salvation of the souls of his neighbors,” John XXIII said.
The saintly pope reflected on the life of Vianney in an encyclical titled Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia. The encyclical was written in 1959 for the 100th anniversary of Vianney’s death.
After struggling with his studies, John Vianney was ordained a priest in 1815. Shortly afterward, he was assigned to Ars, France, near his hometown of Dardilly. There, he spent the majority of his priesthood.
The devoted pastor was known for his dedication to the poor, his counseling to those in need, and for founding La Providence, an orphanage for girls.
He was also well known for his dedication to the sacrament of penance. He would make himself available for confession for up to 16 hours daily.
In his encyclical, Pope John XXIII called St. John Vianney a model of priestly holiness.
“[The priest] is no longer supposed to live for himself … He must be aflame with charity toward everyone. Not even his thoughts, his will, his feelings belong to him, for they are rather those of Jesus Christ who is his life,” he wrote, quoting a sermon from Pope Pius XII.
“St. John Mary Vianney is a person who attracts and practically pushes all of us to these heights of the priestly life,” John XXIII further added.
The pope highlighted the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which he said Vianney exemplified.
“His example in the various works of priestly asceticism still points out the safest path to follow, and in the midst of this example, his poverty, chastity, and obedience stand forth in a brilliant light,” the pope said of Vianney.
“What great benefits are conferred on human society by men like this who are free of the cares of the world and totally dedicated to the divine ministry so that they can employ their lives, thoughts, powers in the interest of their brethren!”
Pope John XXIII said Vianney, who was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, clearly lived a life of poverty. He noted the saint’s heavy mortifications — restraining himself from food, sleep, and other personal belongings.
“This detachment from external goods enabled him to offer the most devoted and touching care to the poor,” the pope said.
“He passed a life that was almost completely detached from the changeable, perishable goods of this world, and his spirit was free and unencumbered by impediments of this kind, so that it could always lie open to those who suffered from any kind of misery.”
Similarly, Pope John XXIII wrote, the preservation of chastity breaks the restraints of self-interest and grants a person greater dedication to those in need.
“St. John Mary Vianney has this pertinent comment to make in this regard: ‘A soul adorned with the virtue of chastity cannot help loving others; for it has discovered the source and font of love — God.’”
The pope also pointed to Vianney’s dedication to the virtue of obedience. The saint, he said, had desired a contemplative life rather than the heavy burden of pastoral duties, but he still remained obedient to his bishops.
“All his life he longed to lead a quiet and retired life in the background, and he regarded pastoral duties as a very heavy burden laid on his shoulders, and more than once he tried to free himself of it,” the pope said.
While God never allowed him to achieve this goal, it was certainly God’s way of forming the saint in the virtue of obedience, he said.
He also highlighted Vianney’s prayer life and devotion to the Eucharist as well as his commitment to the sacrament of confession.
Pope John XXIII said Vianney “habitually restrained his own will” to further dedicate himself to the Church. He expressed hope that this fire for the Church that consumed Vianney may also consume all priests.
“It is said that St. John M. Vianney lived in the Church in such a way that he worked for it alone, and burned himself up like a piece of straw being consumed on fiery coals. May that flame which comes from the Holy Spirit reach those of us who have been raised to the priesthood of Jesus Christ and consume us too.”
This story was first published on Aug. 3, 2018, and has been updated.
Discalced Carmelites call Seculars to embrace vocation as ‘coequal members of the order’
When most Catholics think about Carmelites, they picture friars and nuns in full habits. If they love St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Thérèse, they may even think about their teachings on prayer, the “Dark Night of the Soul,” and the “Little Way.”
But like many of the so-called mendicant orders — which have traditionally relied on charity to survive — Carmelites have an order of laypeople who meet monthly in community and who develop a deep life of prayer over many years. They also study and discuss the writings of the Carmelite saints so they might become more like them and therefore more like God.
The call to Secular Carmelites
In 2003, in a move meant to signal that the laity is of equal importance to the priests and nuns who make up the first and second orders, the Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCD) — which is St. Teresa’s reform group — changed the name of its lay order from Third Order Carmelites to Secular Carmelites (OCDS). Not everyone in the order truly understood what that meant in practice.
That changed during the first world meeting of OCDS Carmelites in the history of the order, held July 23–26, 2026, in Ávila, Spain, where the leaders of the Order of Discalced Carmelites called upon their almost 33,000 Seculars to fully embrace their vocation as coequal members of the order.
This historic call was enthusiastically embraced by the more than 900 Secular Carmelites who attended from almost 80 of the 92 countries in which Secular Carmelite communities are present.
“In the past, people thought, ‘Whatever the priests say.’ Seculars were more like followers whereas now, they are called to be leaders,” said Father Ramiro Casale, OCD, general delegate to the OCDS, in an exclusive interview with EWTN News.
“The Fathers are called to the sacraments, preaching, teaching, accompanying people. Carmelite nuns are cloistered so they offer their lives for Christ and the Church and the world. [But] the Seculars have access to so many places where the friars and nuns are not present. They have biological children and are very engaged in their work and in different apostolates in the Church, and they are very well-prepared. I tell them that they have a voice and that voice needs to be heard,” Casale said.
Of course, this call to the laity is partly due to the fact that Secular Carmelites outnumber Carmelite priests by more than 8 to 1. This imbalance is not limited to the Carmelite order. The Secular Franciscan Order outnumbers its friars by roughly 25 to 1, while Lay Dominicans outnumber their friars by more than 26 to 1.
Another major factor is also at play.
“We need only look around us to see that the world is still on fire,” Ramiro said. In a world in which consumerism, secularization, self-promotion, and a thirst for power rule, the Secular Carmelite order needs “a greater awareness of its professional and vocational identity … [a] rich prayer life … [and a] growing cooperation with the entire Carmelite family. We live in a time where human beings — even if they do not often express it in words — want to find a path that gives meaning and direction to their lives. They thirst for us.”
‘Everyone is a house for God’
Father Miguel Marquez Calle, OCD, superior general of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, explained in a one-on-one interview with EWTN News that the charism of the Carmelite order is what Carmelites lovingly refer to as “a call to ‘The Interior Castle.’” That is a reference to St. Teresa’s masterwork in which she compares the soul to a mansion with many rooms, all of which lead to the center of the castle, which is where God dwells.
“We offer an invitation to live this richness of the presence of God in the soul of everyone, and to share it as St. Teresa did, with a joy that is contagious. We show the world that we are not empty, everyone is a house for God, and that gives life meaning.”
The temptation, even for Carmelites, is to become divided like the world is divided. But Calle said the remedy is to be like St. Teresa, who was able to handle criticism with humor because she was not full of self but full of God. In fact, when a group of friars wanted St. Teresa’s partner in reforming the old order, St. John of the Cross, removed as head of the friars, he famously joined his detractors and signed the petition requesting his removal, saying he was not worthy of the position.
Meeting highlights call to prayer, service, and leadership
The world meeting (“encuentro mundial”), appropriately titled “Witnesses to the Experience of God: Identity and Mission,” was a call to communion, to a deeper prayer life, and to leadership. In recent years, the secular order has been making important inroads into the leadership role to which the order is explicitly calling them.
With the largest population in the Western world, the United States boasts approximately 6,000 Secular Carmelites, the largest of any country, although Asia has the largest number of Seculars on any continent. A collaborative effort to standardize and unify various regional formation practices into a single national program by and for OCDS Carmelites began in 2017, was officially approved in early 2023, and was released and distributed by ICS publications on March 1, 2024.
The program consists of a handbook for formators and six official formation manuals covering all stages of formation. In the works are two manuals for those who are definitively professed and a manual for spiritual assistants. The program was presented at the world meeting by Angela Vel from the Washington Province of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and may become a model, or perhaps the basis of a similar effort, for OCDS communities around the world.
“I think that we have lost sight of our apostolate in many communities,” said Ramon Gras, who is also a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary community in the Washington Province. “One of the things that we have been reminded of this week is that we, as Secular Carmelites, have access to the world in ways that the other two branches of the order do not. The national formation program is not just something to fill our head with facts, but it’s something to help us to develop our spirituality and to give us a renewed sense of purpose.”
He added: “Our formation program tells us that our saints say prayer and service are two sides of the same coin, so we need to review what we are currently doing in our apostolates and determine whether we are serving the current needs of the Church.”
When asked for examples of successful community apostolates, Casale highlighted two that he finds especially impressive.
“There is one in Venezuela called Nagoanagoa,” he said. “Thatʼs an Indian name. It was formed by medical doctors who began to go to the jungle to help people with no access to healthcare. It was something so attractive to others that many other people began to join them: engineers, people who knew about agriculture, dentists — so many people wanted to help. But everything began in the OCDS. Thatʼs something really beautiful, and itʼs happening still.”
The other example is a project in Portugal called Casa de Comunión. “The interesting thing about this is that they have a community of nuns, a community of friars, and two communities of OCDS and they share life together,” Casale explained. “They don’t live together, but they do things together. They organize retreats, they organize talks for young people and for marriages, and they help in the local diocese, so this is an example of collaboration between the three branches of the order.”
‘We are a family’
The three branches don’t just work together; they enjoy one another’s company via various forms of recreation and by sharing the joys and challenges of the work. As Casale said: “We [the Discalced Carmelites] are a team; we are a family, and we need to help each other.”
Esther Tijerina, a community-minded Carmelite from Texas, came to the conference despite some difficult health challenges over the past year. She had her own epiphany regarding the order’s call to fraternity and community during the conference. Tijerina reached out to one woman who rebuffed her not once but twice. “It took three days, but she walked with me and she smiled and she apologized for how she had been on that first day,” Tijerina said. “I learned not to give up because I donʼt know what her load is; I donʼt know what her baggage is.”
Susy Stokes, immediate past president of an Alabama community, focused on another important aspect of the meeting: “By being in Ávila, the birthplace of my order, I received a much deeper sense of belonging to an international family and appreciation for my vocation. The bonus gift I received was a much better understanding of the role of the friars and spiritual assistants.”
Indeed, as superior general of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Calle kicked off the conference with a talk on the history of the Secular Carmelites.
In it, he explained that the friars were originally heavily involved in every aspect of the community, even down to determining who had a vocation to join the secular order. That deep involvement had to change because there are simply not enough friars to do such work.
Despite this, or maybe even because of this, fraternity within and outside of the order has become even more important. During the four-day meeting, many had the opportunity to visit important sites in the life of St. Teresa such as the convent in which she spent much of her life and her birthplace. One Secular said she was amazed to see that St. Teresa had placed a large painting of St. Francis in the local convent. When asked about this, Calle made a surprising statement.
“I am 30% Franciscan,” he said, smiling at the reaction of the questioner. “My preparation for solemn profession was to go to Assisi in Italy without money, asking for food, and sleeping on the road for one month.”
When one of his brothers insisted it was dangerous to do this without money, he promised him he would bring money, so he put one peseta (this was before the euro) in his pocket.
Calle said he discovered: “When you ask for food, people give food.” Where did he sleep? “In the countryside, in a gas station, in the forest.” He had a backpack and a sleeping bag. He said the experience set him up for 13 years of pilgrimages to the Holy Land and parts of Spain, traveling 170 kilometers (almost 106 miles) every year for 13 years. Through this, he learned the importance of fraternity and communion, which he is asking of Secular Carmelites — indeed, the entire order — today.
In addition to many important talks, which were translated into many languages, the four-day conference included excursions to nearby Carmelite sites, a flamenco celebration, and a visit to a special exhibit of St. John of the Cross celebrating his 300th anniversary as a saint and his 100th anniversary as a doctor of the Church.
The closing Mass at the Ávila Cathedral ended with more than 30 priests on the altar, a magnificent choir, and more than 900 Carmelites raising their voices in the song that ends every Carmelite meeting around the world: the Salve Regina, a salute to the Queen of Heaven and Earth and of the Carmelite order under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
As Calle said, in this divided time, the spirituality of the Blessed Mother is of central importance. Just as she was literally filled with the presence of God, her Carmelite order witnesses to the fact that “the presence of God is in every soul without exception. The world needs to understand that everyone is a home for God.”
For more information about the Secular Carmelite Order in the U.S., visit ocdswashprov.org (Eastern Province), thereseocds.org (Central Province), or ocds.info (Western Province). Information about communities worldwide can be found at https://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/en/.
Father Wade Menezes teaches men to ‘stand firm, be strong’ in new EWTN daily podcast
A new podcast called “Stand Firm and Be Strong” with Father of Mercy Wade Menezes launched Aug. 3 on EWTN+. The new podcast is aimed at, and intended for, men. Menezes is especially inviting them to learn how to live and strengthen their Catholic faith, one day at a time.
Menezes is already familiar to EWTN audiences from his many appearances on various shows across the network. The numerous televised and online series he has produced and hosted include “The Gospel of Life vs. the Culture of Death” and “The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life.”
He is also familiar to EWTN audiences as a guest on various episodes of EWTN’s “Mother Angelica Live” and “Life on the Rock,” during which he discussed such topics as the sanctification of marriage and family life, vocations, and the sacred liturgy.
He is the current host of EWTN Global Catholic Radio’s “Open Line Tuesday.”
Menezes has also served as the chaplain-in-residence at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama.
On the print side, he is the author of four books, including: “Stand Firm, Be Strong: A Men’s Catholic Daily Devotional of Scripture and Saints” — the inspiration for the new podcast.
Prior to the launch, and while inviting listeners, Menezes spoke about the podcast with the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.
Register: Father Menezes, please tell us how your “Stand Firm, Be Strong” audio podcast came to be.
Menezes: This 200-day audio-only podcast grew out of the popularity of my men’s daily devotional book of the same title that was published in 2024. The book is a six-month spiritual manual for men. Each day has a different spiritual or temporal (secular) topic that is followed by three components: a Scripture quote, a saint quote, and a short meditation written by me. Both the book and podcast titles are based on 1 Corinthians 16:13, wherein we read: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”
Will the podcast follow the same daily devotional format?
The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast is related closely to the book’s own format. For example, each of the 200 days’ prerecorded short audio podcasts correspond directly — and in proper order — with each of the book’s own 200 days’ topics. But whereas the book is designed to be a five- to 10-minute exercise each morning for men as they begin their day, each podcast episode is itself under five minutes in length and highlights the most pertinent points of the book’s topic for that same day.
Why did you decide on a daily podcast?
EWTN pitched the idea to me to do a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast precisely because the book has done so well with male readers. The book has proven to hold men’s attention as a committed daily exercise to strengthen their spiritual and temporal lives. I hope that a podcast will likewise strike at the male heart and spark the male intellect to help men live their vocations more fully and committedly — whether single, married, widowed, or as a consecrated brother, deacon, priest, or bishop.
Please share a highlight or two that listeners will hear about in opening episodes.
The timely wisdom offered by the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast will help prepare men to put on the armor of God for their daily struggles and help them withstand trials at home and at work. It will also help them to kindle their prayer life, better utilize their talents, and order their priorities in daily life. It will also help guide men in imitating Christ in guarding their senses and responding to temptation — all important factors when navigating life in this third millennium.
Please share or give a hint of what will be a few topics or themes you will be dealing with that are certainly relevant.
During the course of the first 20 [days] … for example, episodes will cover the following topics [titled]: “The Committed Man of God,” “Strength and Fortitude,” “Having No Duplicity or Guile,” “Shunning Sin and Vice,” “Fraternity and Brotherhood,” “The Demands of Virtue and Aiming Toward Salvation,” “The Virtue of Diligence,” “The Truth,” “The Need for Humility Amid Trials and Successes,” “Accountability,” “Confidence,” and “The Athlete of God.” Other podcast episodes include such topics as the “Importance of Eucharistic Adoration,” “Sanctifying Grace,” “Filial Fear of God vs. Servile Fear of God,” and the “Importance of Fostering Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.”
Why are these topics essential for today?
Navigating third-millennium society and culture can be challenging. These various topics are essential today because we live in a day and age that tragically downplays authentic masculinity and what that means. Whether it’s the prevalence of television commercials that frequently make the husband or man look like a buffoon to the misguided direction being offered by various movements within the so-called “manosphere,” what it means to “be a man” in the authentic Christian sense is greatly attacked today.
But as Dr. Tim Gray of the Augustine Institute reminds us: “The virtues give us a blueprint for being a man. Indeed, the very term ‘virtue’ comes from the Latin word for man, ‘vir.’ For the ancients, to be manly was to be virtuous. The term ‘virtue’ in Latin (‘virtus’) signifies power, strength, and ability. Thus, the virtues are habits that give us the power to act in a manly way, with strength sufficient to do what is right. Without virtues we will neither be godly nor real men. Virtues are the building blocks of character, and without them our moral lives will eventually collapse under the pressures of the world.”
Will your podcast appeal to, and be relevant to, men of any age?
Just like the book, the podcast is designed to appeal to any male that is 14 years of age and older. In other words, if a guy is a high school freshman or older and is serious about living his faith authentically and well in the midst of the modern world, he will benefit from hearing this podcast. This fact, in turn, will hopefully inspire him to “go deeper” with the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” book as a daily devotional that he commits himself to for a six-month period.
Will men learn to live a balanced life through your podcast?
Yes, listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast (as well as those readers of the book) will learn to live a balanced life — both spiritually and temporally. For example, a main theme peppered throughout the podcast and book is “faithfulness to daily duty” and what this means and why it is a main ingredient needed when a man strives for sanctification and advancement in the spiritual life according to his particular vocation and state in life. In short, a man is called to fulfill his duties with diligence and balance — all the while serving God and others.
What is the ultimate goal and hope for this podcast?
To help men of all vocations and states in life realize that they are called to become saints “right where they are.”
Both the podcast and book are designed to help jump-start and strengthen a man’s spiritual life over the course of six months. The podcast’s daily topics and accompanying meditations are power-packed, offering achievable resolutions and prudent advice to help a man attain his spiritual and temporal goals in everyday living.
Will it improve their families, too, in any way?
Yes. Just as there is crisis in today’s culture regarding authentic masculinity and what that means, the same can be said regarding the sanctification of marriages and family life. The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast can help a married man become a better husband and father. For single men, it can help them to become a better brother, brother-in-law, co-worker, etc. This same goes for married men and those men in the consecrated religious state, of course.
Themes in the podcast call upon all men to provide, protect, and lead — again, according to each one’s particular vocation and state in life.
Based on the popularity of your book, do you think the podcast will have a similar appeal?
I believe the podcast will appeal to listeners because it will help the individual man to grow in knowledge of his faith and gain strength for the spiritual battle. These, in turn, will help the individual male listener to become more fully the man he was created and meant to be in God’s plan for him.
Is there anything else you would like to say or add about the podcast?
The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast launched Aug. 3 and is posting a new episode daily over the course of 200 days. It is available from EWTN+, a free, ad-free digital streaming platform by the Eternal Word Television Network that offers on-demand Catholic podcasts, movies, live TV and radio, and original series.
Also, for those listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast and/or readers of the book who are so interested, there are three additional “Stand Firm, Be Strong” merchandise items available from EWTN Religious Catalogue (EWTNRC.com). These include a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” T-shirt, travel mug, and 12-in-1 pocket knife. Along with the podcast and book, these items make great gifts for men who are striving to increase their faith and grow in holiness.
I would encourage all women — such women could include, of course, a wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law, friend, or girlfriend — who may stumble across the podcast, book, or three items of merchandise to think about sharing these with the men in their lives so as to encourage them to “stand firm [and] be strong.”
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
U.S. bishops ask for ‘intense prayers’ for Hamas-Israel peace amid Gaza’s ‘disastrous’ conditions
In response to President Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a deal between the U.S.-led Board of Peace, Israel, and Hamas, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for “intense prayers” for the deal’s success as Gaza faces a worsening humanitarian crisis.
In an Aug. 3 statement, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he is “heartened by news of an agreement which aims at the disarmament of Hamas and Israel’s military withdrawal from the [Gaza] Strip,” calling for “intense prayers for the success of these negotiations.”
“As I previously articulated, as ‘people of faith who deeply care for all our brothers and sisters who live in the land of Christ’s life, death, and glorious resurrection, we cannot lose this opportunity for peace,’” Zaidan continued, calling on the U.S., Israel, and the international community “to facilitate greater amounts of humanitarian and development assistance to the Strip.”
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 30 that his Board of Peace had reached a deal for Hamas to fully disarm after nearly three years of war.
“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump indicated. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”
Though a Hamas official confirmed the disarmament pact the next day, according to the Associated Press, significant hurdles remain, leaving the deal’s implementation uncertain despite U.S. optimism. Israel has not publicly endorsed the agreement and has continued airstrikes, with the AP reporting that at least 17 people, including children, were killed in Gaza over the weekend.
‘People are living with nothing’
“Alleviating the suffering of the Gazan people is not only a vital moral imperative but is also necessary for the consolidation of peace in the Holy Land and the entire region,” Zaidan declared. “This should include restoring educational opportunities for children and youths, jobs, and clean water.”
In an interview last week with Vatican Media, Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza, begged for humanitarian aid for the region, emphasizing that “when people say the situation here is disastrous, believe me: It really is disastrous — if anything, it calls for an even stronger word.”
“People are living with nothing,” Romanelli said. “Reconstruction is certainly essential, but so too are all the basic necessities of everyday life.”
Former U.S. ambassador and EWTN contributor on Middle East issues Alberto Fernandez told EWTN News that while the deal is “extraordinarily shaky from both sides,” he is hopeful because “the situation of the civilian public in Gaza is so dire,” Fernandez said. “Gaza is destroyed, people are traumatized, there’s no economy.”
‘Deeply conflicting agendas’
“The agreement on paper is a positive, concrete step in the right direction,” Fernández said, pointing out that the issue of which side will act first “is a small part of a bigger problem. There is no trust between the two sides, and deeply conflicting agendas.”
In Zaidan’s statement, the bishop wrote that the “agreement’s successful implementation, as its principles statement says, has the potential of finally providing the Palestinian people with a ‘credible political path that achieves self-determination and Statehood.’ This would be a major milestone.”
Hamas said Friday that it would give up its heavy weapons, including rockets, contingent on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state, the latter condition one Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government strongly rejects.
“The two-state solution among the Israeli public is moribund,” the ambassador continued. “We’re not there at all in a situation where they will compromise. They’ve become more intransigent. That’s a reality.”
“It’s not time for celebration, but time to recognize there is small progress being made, and huge obstacles remain,” Fernandez said.
‘Serious security concerns’
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, told the AP on Aug. 2 that Israel has “serious security concerns” surrounding the deal. Spielman said Israel believes Hamas is still committed to building up its military, not demilitarizing, and said Israel would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, where it controls more than half the territory, before Hamas disarms.
“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” he said.
“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” Spielman told the AP.
After an Aug. 3 meeting between Netanyahu and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace said on X that the meeting was “constructive and detailed” and that Israel and the board “share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives” — specifically, the complete decommissioning of Hamas’ weapons in Gaza and the transition to civilian governance.
The social media post clarified that the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) beyond the Yellow Line would occur only after Hamas’ weapons decommissioning is complete, including “light weapons, heavy weapons, and the tunnels alike.”
The “Yellow Line” refers to the demarcation line separating the area under IDF control from the rest of Gaza.
Zaidan concluded his statement acknowledging the “extreme challenges inherent in this ongoing peace process” but called on all to “entrust the hearts and minds of the negotiators to the maternal care of Our Lady of Wisdom, that she may illumine and enliven their efforts to finally achieve peace in those sacred lands.”
This story was updated at 12:03 p.m. ET on Aug. 4, 2026, with the information on the meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov.