Pope Leo XIV to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November
Pope Leo XIV will make an apostolic trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6-17, a nearly two-week tour that will be his first papal visit to Latin America.
As reported by the Vatican on Aug. 5, the pontiff accepted the invitation of the heads of state and ecclesiastical authorities of the three countries to carry out the pastoral visit, which will include several emblematic cities of each nation.
The first stage of the trip will take place in Uruguay, where Leo XIV will stay from November 6-8. During those days he will visit the cities of Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida.
Subsequently the Holy Father will travel to Argentina, where he will visit from November 8-11. The itinerary includes visits to Buenos Aires, Córdoba and the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, one of the main pilgrimage centers in the country.
The last portion of the trip will take place in Peru, from November 11-17. In that country, in which the pope has had citizenship since 2015, he will travel Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa, on an itinerary that will take him both to the coast and to the mountains and the Peruvian Amazon.
The Holy See said it would release a more detailed itinerary in the near future.
The visit will have a special meaning for Peru, a country where Leo XIV did extensive pastoral and missionary work for years.
The pope, then Father Robert Prevost, lived in Peru for more than two decades in total. He arrived in the country in 1985. His first destination was Chulucanas, but it was in Trujillo and Chiclayo where his pastoral dedication took deep roots.
In 2015, already a nationalized Peruvian, he was appointed bishop of Chiclayo, where he exercised a close and committed leadership. He was there until January 2023 when he was appointed by Pope Francis as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
Pope Leo XIV warns prayer is disappearing from Christian families
Pope Leo XIV lamented Wednesday that prayer is no longer being passed on in many Christian families and urged the faithful to rediscover it as a fundamental dimension of human life.
“In our time, in contexts dominated by an efficiency-driven and consumerist mindset, prayer may seem pointless and trivial,” the pope said during his Aug. 5 general audience.
“In a world where science and technology claim to provide all the answers, praying may appear to be a form of escapism,” he continued.
Leo resumed his weekly public audience after suspending most of his official schedule during the traditional July summer break. Because of Rome’s high summer temperatures, the audience was held inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Continuing his catechetical series on the Second Vatican Council, the pope focused on the ecclesial dimension of liturgical prayer as presented in the conciliar constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium.
He warned that prayer is increasingly misunderstood, including within Christian homes.
“Furthermore, even in many Christian families, the tradition of prayer is no longer passed on, whilst many people risk confusing it with just another technique, of a psychological nature aimed at personal well-being,” he said.
“Prayer, however, as a fundamental dimension of our humanity, is worth rediscovering in its true form.”
Leo said Sacrosanctum Concilium took this need seriously. He recalled the words of Pope St. Paul VI when the constitution became the first document promulgated by the Second Vatican Council on Dec. 4, 1963.
“God comes first; prayer is our primary duty; the liturgy is the primary source of the divine life communicated to us, the primary school of our spiritual life,” Paul VI said at the time.
Leo explained that the word “prayer” in the constitution refers to the liturgy as a whole. This understanding, he said, proved decisive in guiding the liturgical reform and placing the active participation of the faithful at its center.
“The liturgy is presented first and foremost as the place of encounter, of God’s initiative in drawing near to humanity in his Son, ‘the Word made flesh, anointed by the Holy Spirit,’” the pope said.
The faithful respond “through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,” he continued, through “the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His Body, addresses to the Father.”
The importance of the Liturgy of the Hours
Leo recalled Paul VI’s desire that the Liturgy of the Hours — the Church’s daily public prayer, which is inseparable from the Eucharist — would permeate, enliven and guide all Christian prayer.
“For this desire to be fulfilled, the Liturgy of the Hours needs to be more fully embraced and lived out in the daily lives of the baptized and of the communities,” Leo said.
The pope described the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours as “the breath of the life of the Church,” through which the Holy Spirit circulates throughout the body of Christ.
He said the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies the different moments of ordinary life.
“Bound to the Eucharist, whose light it prolongs, the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies the time of our daily lives: in the morning, we begin the day with faith and gratitude; at midday, we ask for the strength to remain faithful amidst our labours; in the evening, once our work is done, Vespers accompany the moment of sunset; at night, we fall asleep entrusting ourselves to God’s peace,” he said.
“Each Hour is an act of hope: during our earthly pilgrimage, we keep watch, awaiting with the whole Church the glorious return of the Lord.”
The Liturgy of the Hours can also serve as a practical school for those learning how to pray, the pope said, particularly people preparing to enter the Catholic Church.
“To the many people who wish to learn to pray, especially catechumens, it can offer the path and the school of Christian prayer,” he said.
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.
Former organized crime member receives baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation in Brazilian prison
Two prisoners — one of them a former member of Comando Vermelho, a major Brazilian criminal organization — received the sacraments of Christian initiation (baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation) on Sunday, July 26, at the Gameleira 2 maximum-security state menʼs penitentiary in Campo Grande, Brazil.
Both men received the sacraments after two years of catechesis provided by the prison ministry of the Archdiocese of Campo Grande.
“What is the primary objective of prison ministry? Education, celebration, and life in the faith,” explained Said Brandão Sayd, the ministry’s coordinator, in an interview with ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News.
“Our principal goal is to have a Catholic community within the prison — to ensure that people, even amid all those difficulties, receive the Church’s help and can effectively leave that place or live there in a state of grace,” he added.
The sacraments were administered by Father Álisson Muryel, the ecclesiastical adviser for the prison ministry in the Archdiocese of Campo Grande, an area that, according to Brandão, has 11 prisons and nearly 10,000 inmates. The ministry is “present in all the prisons,” he said.
Without going into details regarding the personal information of the prisoners who received the sacraments, Brandão noted that one of them is single and “due to leave soon.”
“He wants to rebuild his life; he wants to do it differently,” Brandão said.
The other man, “who is staying longer,” is in “a stable relationship but wants to receive the sacrament of marriage.”
The coordinator explained that “in the second half of the year,” they are going to “prepare him for this sacrament.”
Brandão told ACI Digital that there is a team of catechists, supported by a parish, at every prison in the archdiocese. “Our meetings always follow this pattern, prioritizing catechesis,” he said. “Above all else, the Catholic Church needs to go in there [into the prison] and proclaim the message,” he added.
According to Brandão, it is not enough simply to “offer a hug” or “be deeply concerned about human rights, important as that is ... But if you don’t speak about Jesus in there, who will?”
“Without that, there is no conversion,” he affirmed.
According to Brandão, there are prisons where the pastoral team is able to be present every week, while in others, due to scheduling restrictions, meetings take place every two weeks.
“Since it is organized by cellblock, the blocks cannot be mixed. So, we go in, visiting two blocks one week, another two the next, and carry out the work there in that way,” Brandão explained.
Through this process, the inmates follow a program lasting one or two years, depending on the frequency of the monthly catechesis sessions.
During the meetings, they work on the four dimensions of the faith: the creed, the commandments, prayer, and the sacraments. That period of preparation, Brandão noted, is intended to ensure the inmate “is aware of what he is receiving, and embraces it ... it is a great responsibility to prepare them so they understand what the faith is.”
However, Brandão pointed out, providing good catechesis is pointless without the sacraments, and that is why a monthly Mass is held at the prison. At Gameleira 2, Mass is celebrated once a month in one of the four cellblocks. “So, each block has three Masses a year,” he explained.
Mass is preceded by a time of confession for those who have already received the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.
After the prisoners are released from the correctional facility, pastoral care workers encourage them to continue attending a parish near their homes.
“We do not know what is happening in each person’s heart, but the Word is reaching them, and the Gospel is being proclaimed,” Brandão concluded.
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.
Data center surge drives Catholic climate groups to press for safeguards
As artificial intelligence drives a rapid expansion of energy-hungry data centers across the United States, Catholic environmental advocates are urging lawmakers, technology companies, and consumers to evaluate the industryʼs growth through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
Catholic leaders in social teaching, environmental stewardship, and advocacy said the Church is not opposed to artificial intelligence itself.
“The Church is not anti-tech. It is not, in a sense, anti-AI,” Scott Hurd, vice president of leadership development and Catholic identity at Catholic Charities USA, told EWTN News. “But it is very concerned about the ethics involved in the design of these tools and the data centers.”
Why data centers matter
Data centers house the computer servers that process and store information behind artificial intelligence systems. Their rapid growth, however, has also prompted concerns over electricity use, water consumption, electronic waste, and impacts on nearby communities.
Hurd said the issues can be understood in simple terms.
“They require immense amounts of energy,” he said, noting that facilities also consume large quantities of water to keep servers cool. In some areas, he added, residents have reported concerns over water quality, while aging computer equipment contributes to growing amounts of electronic waste.
Hurd also pointed to local concerns including electrical grid demands and noise from cooling systems.
“Water, energy use, the type of energy being used, and e-waste are big problems,” he said. “Then locally for people who live there, the noise pollution can really impact a community and the well-being of the people who live there.”
Kayla Jacobs, director of advocacy and youth mobilization for the Catholic Climate Covenant, said her organization regularly hears from Catholics living in communities where data centers are planned or under construction.
“We’ve been hearing a lot about the huge strain on resources,” Jacobs said in an interview with EWTN News. “That leads to higher energy and water bills for common people because, at the moment, those companies putting in these data centers aren’t required to pay for that.”
She added that residents also express concerns about air quality, construction impacts, light pollution, and the overall quality of life near the facilities.
Industry response
The Data Center Coalition, which represents many of the industryʼs largest operators, disputed claims that data centers are driving higher utility costs or failing to pay for the resources they consume.
“Data centers are committed to being responsible and responsive neighbors,” Dan Diorio, the coalitionʼs executive vice president for state policy and government affairs, said in a statement to EWTN News.
Data centers provide the infrastructure behind not only artificial intelligence but also online banking, hospitals, schools, manufacturing, telehealth, air travel, and other essential digital services. The group said the facilities are increasingly critical to the U.S. economy and modern daily life.
Diorio said research from states including Virginia and Arizona indicates the industry pays its full energy costs, while studies have found data centers have not been a primary driver of electricity rate increases nationally.
He also said many facilities use relatively modest amounts of water compared with other industries. In Virginia — the world’s largest data center market — 83% of data centers use the same or less water than an average commercial office building.
Diorio pledged continued collaboration with local communities and policymakers on responsible resource use.
The coalitionʼs assessment differs from concerns raised by Catholic environmental advocates, who argue that communities are already experiencing higher resource demands and other local impacts.
A question of Catholic social teaching
While environmental concerns surrounding AI infrastructure often enter political debate, environmental advocates said Catholics should view the issue primarily through the lens of Catholic social teaching.
“It is a doctrinal matter to be considered,” Hurd said, noting that concern for the environment is closely tied to concern for local communities through the Church’s understanding of integral ecology.
Molly Burhans, an environmental researcher and the Ignazio Danti, OP, fellow in geography at The Catholic University of Americaʼs Leonine Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies, said Catholics should resist treating the issue as a choice between embracing or rejecting technology.
“We need to distinguish where they make sense and how they can make sense,” Burhans told EWTN News. “We can’t really go backwards in time now. We can’t get rid of this technology. How can we work with it and align it with human flourishing and the common good?”
Burhans said Catholics should evaluate AI development according to the principles of human dignity, the common good, and stewardship of creation.
Burhans also argued that environmental stewardship itself is a pro-life concern.
“Pollution almost always disproportionately falls on the vulnerable,” she said, including unborn children, who are especially susceptible to environmental toxins during development.
She described creation not as “a warehouse” for human consumption but as “a gift entrusted to us for stewardship.”
What can Catholics do?
Rather than seeing the issue solely as one for lawmakers or technology companies, Catholics have a role to play, advocates said.
Hurd encouraged Catholics to become familiar with the Church’s growing body of teaching on artificial intelligence, including the Vatican document Antiqua et Nova, Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ guidance on AI.
He also suggested that Catholics examine their own use of AI.
Pope Leo’s call for “digital sobriety,” Hurd said, challenges Catholics to use artificial intelligence intentionally rather than frivolously, recognizing that every AI interaction relies on physical infrastructure with real environmental costs.
“I think an ethical case can be made to use this with intention,” he said, “understanding that there’s a real environmental impact.”
Jacobs likewise encouraged Catholics to think critically about their personal use of AI, not only for environmental reasons but also for the social impact it can have on humanity.
“People are using it without even thinking about it,” she said. “But we really need to reduce our use of AI, not just for the environmental impacts, but also we need to consider the effect it has on human interaction,” Jacobs said.
She said local governments often hold public hearings before approving projects, allowing residents to ask questions about environmental impacts, water use, and community planning.
Balancing innovation with responsibility
The advocates stressed that artificial intelligence itself offers significant opportunities, from medical advances to improved education and scientific research. The challenge, they said, is ensuring that technological progress does not come at the expense of people or the environment.
“We need an equally ambitious commitment to renewable energy, responsible water stewardship, transparency, and just economic participation,” Burhans said.
For Catholics, the argument ultimately extends beyond technology.
“Caring for our common home is not just an act of environmental care,” Burhans said. “It’s also an act of gratitude.”
As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly permanent part of daily life, Catholic leaders say the challenge is ensuring its development serves the common good while respecting both human dignity and Godʼs creation.
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.