Ireland sees modest revival in faith, especially among youth and young adults
An increase in spirituality and religious practice among young adults in Ireland aged 18 to 30 and confirmation that Ireland is in the “middle range” of religious countries in Europe are among the trends identified in a new report published by the Irish Catholic bishops titled “Turning the Tide.”
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of all Ireland, told EWTN News: “There has been a lot of talk recently about the so-called quiet revival in religious practice in recent years. The [report] looks at some of the research studies that have been carried out north and south of the island of Ireland into religious practice, religious awareness and spirituality, and interest in religion, and asks a question by comparing this with European social studies: Is there actually any uptake [in] religious practice and awareness and interest in Ireland?”
Drawing on research from the European Social Survey, the Iona Institute’s two recent surveys conducted by Amárach Research, and a variety of relevant academic studies, the report seeks to provide an integrated, relevant, and current look at religious practice in Ireland.
“The report very interestingly points to some type of uptick, as they call it, particularly among young people around the ages of 16 to 30 and the fact that they are taking a new interest in religion and in spirituality.”
Encouraged by the positive trends emerging across different studies, Martin sounded a note of caution, highlighting the challenges that these findings pose for the Catholic Church in Ireland.
“I don’t think we should get ourselves too enthusiastic thinking this is a complete reversal of the very obvious decline and religious practice over the last 10 or 20 years,” he said. “However, it is saying something on the turning tide.”
The archbishop pointed to the implications for the Irish Church: “It’s asking us to reflect on this phenomenon in the light of research, and for instance what does this mean for us as Church, as parishes, as dioceses? How are we responding to this growing body of young people who want to know more more about God, about church, and about religion?”
The report, co-authored by Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, and Emily Nelson, a doctoral student of sociology at Queen’s University Belfast, examined the overall religious profile of the island of Ireland, including areas of convergence and divergence between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The authors drew together research studies on patterns in belief, practice, and religious identification between generations, with particular attention to differences within young adult cohorts. The work also provided insight on dimensions of religiosity, religious transmission, and attitudes toward Church teaching and institutions among both men and women.
Ireland remains among the more religious countries in Europe, on measures of religious affiliation, religious service attendance, and frequency of prayer. Among western European countries, it is one of few outliers with a relatively high level of overall religiosity. It also ranks toward the higher end of (especially western) European countries on measures of weekly Mass attendance and daily prayer.
While key measures of Irish religiosity have declined significantly since the European Social Survey began in 2002-2003, the most recent round in 2023-2024 shows a strong uptick in religious affiliation and religious practice.This effect is most strongly evident among those aged 16–29 years, across both Catholics and Protestants.
Northern Ireland is both the most religious region of the United Kingdom, by a large margin, and the most religious part of the island of Ireland, in terms of both affiliation and religious practice.
Although women in the Republic of Ireland are equally as likely as men to be religious, they continue to play an influential role in transmitting faith, even as they express higher levels of moral dissent and institutional dissatisfaction. The report revealed that 74% of Irish Catholic women were found to believe that the Church did not treat them with “a lot of respect.”
According to the report, 51% of Irish adults — and 27% of Irish young adults —pray at least once a week, and 31% say they attend Mass at least once a week, placing them fourth overall, alongside Italy (32%) but well behind Poland (49%) and Slovakia (46%).
There is a significant drop-off among young adults, whose reported religious practice is roughly half that of older adults. Irish 16- to 29-year-olds rank sixth overall compared with other countries, at 17%, though that is at least double the rates of the same age group in Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, at 5%, and in Austria with less than 1%.
The Irish report also pointed to a 2023 Barna study that found in certain respects, Irish teens are more religious than their global peers. Just over 3 in 5 (62%) Irish teens identify as Christian with nearly a third identify as atheist, agnostic, or of no faith.
On average, 18- to 24-year-olds in the Republic of Ireland aren’t particularly positive about both Christianity and the Catholic Church in Ireland, but they are more positive than those in the 25–34 age range, and fewer have a negative attitude toward priests and nuns.
In 2023, EWTN News’ Colm Flynn traveled to Ireland with the question “Is Ireland still Catholic?” He explored the various reasons for the decline of the faith in Ireland and the challenges the Church faces there today. In the three years since, and after many emails and messages pointing to signs of a “quiet revival” of faith in Ireland, Flynn recently returned to the country to explore those signs of renewal. In his report, he refers to the “Turning the Tide” report:
Angola parish prepares to host historic meeting of pope and Church leaders
LUANDA, Angola — Our Lady of Fátima Parish in the Archdiocese of Luanda is at the center of preparations for a historic moment in Angola as it prepares to host Pope Leo XIV’s meeting with bishops, priests, women and men religious, and catechists during his planned April 18–21 apostolic visit.
The encounter, scheduled for April 20, places the parish — run by members of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) — in the spotlight, drawing attention from across the country and around the world.
For Father Diogo Messias, pastor of the parish, the choice of Our Lady of Fátima as host is both an honor and a profound spiritual moment for the local Church.
“The visit of the Holy Father to our community is a moment of great significance, joy, and pride for all the faithful,” he said in an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on March 18.
“The pope’s presence is a blessing for our parish and for all of Angola,” he said. “The visit marks a historic moment, and seeing our parish chosen for this meeting is a cause of joy and renewal for our community.”
As the largest Capuchin fraternity in Angola, the parish has become a hive of activity, with preparations focused on ensuring that the venue is ready to welcome hundreds of Church leaders and participants expected for the encounter.
“The preparations are focused both inside and outside the church,” Messias explained, adding: “Visible work includes improving the courtyard, pavement, and chairs. The essential part, however, is the interior, where the meeting with the Holy Father will take place.”
The parish’s infrastructure is old, but efforts are underway to enhance the space and ensure it reflects the dignity of the occasion.
“It is not a case of serious deterioration, but we want to give dignity to the Capuchin house and the place of prayer for the faithful. Every touch and detail matters,” the priest said.
Renovation works include painting, structural repairs, and adapting the church to accommodate the expected influx of participants. At the same time, improvements are ongoing in surrounding areas, particularly at Largo Rainha Ginga, where access routes and walkways are being upgraded.
“These works aim to improve access and movement for everyone and enhance the appearance of the church that will receive the pope on April 20,” Messias said.
Beyond logistics, Messias underscored the significance of the gathering, describing it as a moment that brings together the entire Church in Angola and beyond.
“The meeting with the Holy Father involves the entire Church in Angola, including religious sisters, catechists, and members from other dioceses and neighboring countries, such as São Tomé,” he said. “The event will have national and international impact, showing the unity of the Church and the richness of Angolan culture.”
While the parish prepares physically, the emphasis remains on spiritual renewal for those who will take part in the encounter.
“Despite the great mobilization, the most important thing is the experience of renewal for all those present. Those who participate will leave strengthened in spirit, committed to the community, and motivated to live values of fraternity and respect,” Messias said.
The April 20 meeting is expected to be one of the defining moments of the pope’s visit to Angola, offering a unique opportunity for direct engagement with Church leaders and pastoral agents.
“Bishops, women and men religious, and catechists in Angola expect Pope Leo XIV to bring a message centered above all on unity, hope, and community commitment,” Messias said.
He said the visit is widely seen as an opportunity for deeper reflection and renewal within the Church.
“The visit of the Holy Father is seen as a moment that goes beyond a simple meeting, being understood as an opportunity for inner renewal,” he said, adding: “It is expected that the Holy Father’s message will help consecrated persons renew their vocation, strengthen their dedication to service, and assume with greater responsibility the role they play in the life of the Church and the country.”
Meanwhile, members of the local community are playing an active role in the preparations. Among them is David Afonso, a young carpenter overseeing the restoration of church benches.
“Working to receive the Holy Father is a great responsibility, and we are doing our best to ensure everything is in good condition,” he said.
Although not a Catholic, Afonso expressed pride in contributing to the preparations.
“It is a pleasure to take part in an event of this magnitude. Every detail matters, and we want the space to be worthy and memorable for all the faithful and visitors,” 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.
Faith-based summer camp restores hope for kids of fallen heroes
On their first day at LifeCampUSA, middle-school-aged campers are taught how to use a map and a compass to learn how to find their way around. Then they’re given a Bible — for many, their first time having one — and shown how to find the different books of the Bible, after which there’s a discussion about how God’s word can serve as a map and compass in life.
For boys and girls who have lost their dads in military service, as first responders, or in law enforcement, LifeCampUSA and its Bible-based curriculum can be a life-changing summer experience where they forge new friendships and find a relationship with God.
Founded by married couple Mark and Jane Neumann, the camp — which, according to its website, is “a Christian ministry unassociated with a specific church or religious denomination” — first opened in the summer of 2021 after the Neumanns met a group of middle schoolers from military families and heard about the struggles they faced in the aftermath of losing their fathers. Having experience working with middle schoolers in youth ministry at their church, the Neumanns felt called to help these children and “become fathers to the fatherless.”
Despite neither one growing up in a typical military family, both Jane and Mark grew up with a “general sense of patriotism,” Jane told EWTN News in an interview.
The Neumanns emphasized that they start the week at camp with the map and compass lesson because they want the children to leave knowing that “just like with the compass you’re not going to get lost if you follow the Bible’s lessons and what this book has for you; it’s going to give you direction in life,” Mark said.
LifeCampUSA offers their summer camp program in several different states across the United States including Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Each camp has spaces for 10 boys and 10 girls. Each boy is assigned his own male mentor, while five couples serve as mentors for the girls’ camp.
“We have five couples for the girls so that the men can speak into the girls’ lives safely there and that the girls can see father figures [and] hear the things that a dad would want to tell their daughters, but also see the healthy marriages,” Mark explained.
Additionally, all expenses — including airfare — are completely covered by LifeCampUSA for the campers who attend. Also, all campers can take part in a 12-month program called LifeCare after their week at camp to continue their mentorship.
Mark and Jane also highlighted the way in which they’ve seen young boys in particular grow into young men during their time at camp. Jane shared that much of the feedback she receives from moms once their sons get back home is how much more respectful they are and how they begin to take more initiative in helping around the house.
One of Mark’s favorite stories was from a mom who shared with him that her son began leading his family in prayer before every meal after getting back home from camp.
“I mean there’s countless stories — it’s been such a blessing,” Mark said.
The Neumanns also pointed out the impact camp has on the many children who have lost their fathers due to suicide after serving the country. They shared that out of the 100 children who are signed up to attend camp this summer, 80% have lost their dads from suicide.
“Moms will tell us that they didn’t mean for this to happen, but they feel a sense of shame when their husbands have taken their own lives, and they didn’t even want necessarily that sense of shame, but it just naturally happens and they don’t mean to project that onto their kids, but it just has,” Jane explained.
She added that these children also face bullying in school after kids find out the manner in which they lost their fathers.
“Their dads are our nation’s heroes. [Yet] somebody finds out that that dad had an injury to their mind, they don’t understand that, but they have no problem bullying our kids, teasing them that their dads took their own lives. And so they don’t want anybody to know,” she shared. “… And now these kids — they’re almost suppressing their patriotism, putting shame into their lives. So our kids come to camp with that stigmatism.”
However, many of the mothers of these children have shared that after they attend camp they witness a “change in their hearts and their heads and it puts more confidence in them, it puts a pride in there for their dad, it puts pride back in for our nation,” Jane said.
Most importantly, the children are introduced to Jesus, which Mark and Jane believe is the greatest reason for the success seen during their summer camps.
“So, [when] you put the Creator in the heart and you know who your creator is, so many things get worked out. … We recognize the fact that Jesus is the one — when we can put Jesus into the program, we’re going to have the best success for these kiddos and families,” Jane said.
“We know that really we have the answer to the healing for these kids. That’s it. And so we want to tell them about Jesus because that’s the real solution,” Mark added.
Mark shared that their main hope for children who attend LifeCampUSA is to give them “hope, to be honest, because a lot of them are pretty hopeless,” and to “change the direction of their life.”
Judge says religious ministers must have access to detainees at Minnesota ICE facility
Christian ministers including a Jesuit priest won a victory at federal court on March 20 when a U.S. district judge said the Department of Homeland Security must allow them formal pastoral access to detainees at a federal facility in Minneapolis.
Judge Jerry Blackwell said in his ruling that the government “may not impose an access protocol ... that bars clergy visits in all circumstances” at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on the outskirts of Minneapolis.
A group of Christian objectors, including Father Christopher Collins, SJ, had sued the government in late February, alleging that it was unlawfully “barring faith leaders from offering prayer, pastoral guidance, sacramental ministry, and spiritual comfort” to immigrants detained in the Whipple facility.
The government was unconstitutionally obstructing the plaintiffs’ “sacred obligation to exercise their faith through ministry to community members in the greatest need of spiritual comfort,” the suit said.
In his ruling Blackwell said that his order allowing the ministers access to the facility would last “for the duration” of the lawsuit.
Erin Westbrook — an attorney with the law firm Saul Ewing, which filed the suit on behalf of the ministers — said in a press release that the plaintiffs view their ministry work as “a core expression of their faith and a constitutionally protected exercise of religion.”
“It is vital that they be able to provide pastoral care at the Whipple building at a time when those detained are experiencing profound fear, uncertainty, and isolation,” she said.
Prior to the order the government had argued that heavy immigration enforcement in the area had already ended and that clergy had increasingly been allowed back into the building for ministry visits in recent weeks.
But Blackwell’s order requires that officials develop a “written protocol” to ensure clergy access to the facility. The government must respond to requests for access “within a reasonable time,” the judge said, adding that such requests are subject to “reasonable” security measures.
The judge ordered the parties in the suit to file a joint status report by April 2 that includes proposed policies and disagreements from both sides.
106-year-old nun continues serving in the cloister and sharing the Gospel on YouTube
Sister Anna Maria of the Sacred Heart, an Italian nun, turned 106 on March 14 at her monastery near Milan, where she continues to serve her sick sisters and share reflections on the Gospel on YouTube.
Still lucid “in thought and word,” and with 36 years of life in cloister, the nun belongs to the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, the Italian newspaper Il Giorno reported. Despite her advanced age, she continues to participate daily in Eucharistic adoration even during the night and assists in the monastery’s infirmary, caring for elderly or ailing nuns.
Her birthday celebration took place with a Mass of Thanksgiving and a gathering with family members, experienced through the grilles of the cloister where Sister Anna Maria remains dedicated to prayer.
“I do this like so many other things, out of love for Jesus who continually asks me to love my neighbor,” the religious, whose name before entering the convent was Anna Perfumo, said in a video shared by her community.
“The years are many, but ... with patience, God’s will shall be fulfilled. Pray for me, and I will always remember you on earth and in heaven,” she added.
According to Il Giorno, the nun’s life was marked by hardships from the very beginning. At 4 months old, she contracted bronchopneumonia — a condition that was practically fatal in 1920 — and at age 4 she came down with scurvy, a disease that was incurable at that time. “The doctor told my mother: ‘I won’t be coming back tomorrow, because the child will be dead.’ Yet I was miraculously healed,” she said.
Before entering the monastery, she worked for years as a governess and schoolteacher in addition to caring for elderly and infirm priests. Nevertheless, she always harbored in her heart the desire to consecrate herself to God in the contemplative life.
That longing was finally realized at the age of 70, following the death of her mother. After several attempts, she was admitted to the Adorers’ monastery in Genoa, from where she would be transferred years later to Seregno, where she currently lives.
In a video, Sister Anna Maria expressed her gratitude for the expressions of affection she had received and spoke about her late vocation: “It’s true; I had to wait quite a long time before fulfilling God’s will. But when it is God who desires something, it will always come to pass. That’s why one must have great confidence, great faith, great hope, and great patience.”
In her message, she also shared a reflection on the passage of time and on faithfulness: “My grandfather used to tell us that it’s faithfulness that keeps us young and that it’s necessary to keep our eyes and souls open to what is beautiful, good, and true; in this way, one will experience a serene old age. Love keeps the heart young.”
Finally, she extended a greeting for the Easter season: “Life is Christ — the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May the Lord grant you peace and joy... and also peace among peoples, for the sake of fraternity among nations.”
The Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament are a contemplative, cloistered order of women whose life is centered on the continuous adoration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Their mission is to intercede for the Church and the world from the silence of the monastery, offering their lives as a constant prayer.
The congregation was founded in 1807 in Rome by Blessed Maria Magdalena of the Incarnation (Caterina Sordini) with the charism of Eucharistic adoration.
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.
Israeli settlers step up aggressions against Christians in West Bank, Jerusalem bishop says
Christians in the West Bank continue to face an onslaught of aggressions by Israeli settlers, threatening their presence in the region, according to Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem.
“The aggressions against Christians in the West Bank are multiplying,” Shomali said in a March 20 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”
The situation for Palestinian Christians had been “calm” in the Bethlehem area, he said. “But now, there is more expansion of the settlements and more aggressions from the side of the settlers.”
Shomali said settlers have prevented Palestinian Christians from accessing their land through various threats, physical aggression, and property damage, including burning their cars.
“This happened mainly in the Christian village of Taybeh, and we communicated this news to all the world, even to the American ambassador in Tel Aviv, who came to visit the place, and he promised to do something, but not many things were done,” Shomali said.
In Birzeit, a Palestinian Christian town about six miles north of Ramallah in the West Bank, Shomali said settlers have been coming “almost every day to threaten people in their own homes or in their work.”
“This has become a real threat to Christian families,” he said, “because they lost their livelihood and their source of income.” The Church must intervene and provide aid for them to survive, the bishop said.
Shomali said Israeli settlers have also recently occupied land belonging to a convent of sisters in a village near Bethlehem called Urtas. The sisters “have a hill where they plant and grow olives and other things,” he said. “Settlers came to occupy this hill and to make it theirs, where they think of building a new settlement.”
He also noted a settlement to be built on the Shepherds’ Field of his own village, Beit Sahour, which he said is a piece of land that belongs to Christian families there.
“I heard just today, that a piece of land, one acre, was also entered by settlers who put an Israeli flag to mean that this land now is Israeli, while there is a deed of ownership to a Christian family that I know from Beit Sahour,” he said. “So slowly, slowly, the land of Palestine that Israels call now Judea and Samaria, the biblical name, is becoming less and less Palestinian and more and more settlers’ land.”
New Colorado program trains deacons, priests to walk together ‘in darkness’
Chaplains are often the first responders in a crisis — when people are struggling with grief or trauma they often reach out to their priests and deacons. The nature of the work means clergy often face emotional stress. So who shepherds the shepherds?
The solution, for Deacon Ernie Martinez, starts with brother priests and deacons.
Martinez, director of deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver, has spent 40 years working with the Denver Police Department. Taking inspiration from its long-standing police support program, he helped launch the Clergy Outreach and Resilience (COR), which teaches clergy how to recognize signs of stress and burnout in one another.
“I have seen in both policing and ministry that without support, even the strongest men can find themselves battling darkness, including thoughts of hopelessness, or worse,” Martinez told EWTN News.
“Priests and deacons walk daily with people through death, trauma, addiction, broken families, and profound suffering,” Martinez said. “They absorb that pain. They carry it, often without peer support training or awareness, and too often, they carry it alone.”
The program launched in January with a four-day certification program led by clinical psychologist John Nicoletti. About 40 clergy members attended, mostly deacons.
“We are forming clergy who are trained to recognize distress, to step in early, to walk with a brother in crisis, and, when necessary, to help him get the care he needs: spiritually, emotionally, and clinically,” Martinez said. “It is about creating a culture where asking for help is not seen as weakness but as wisdom.”
The weight of service
“This program was born at the intersection of two worlds I have lived deeply — law enforcement and ordained ministry,” Martinez said.
“After 40 years with the Denver Police Department, I witnessed firsthand the weight men and women carry in silence,” Martinez said. “I saw what happens when that weight has nowhere to go.”
“In law enforcement, we learned that peer support, one trusted brother or sister walking with you in the darkness, can mean the difference between life and death,” Martinez continued.
“When I stepped more fully into my role serving the Church, I recognized that our clergy carry a similar, and in many ways even heavier, burden,” Martinez said.
Clergy “absorb that pain” that the people they walk with carry, according to Martinez.
“Scripture reminds us clearly: ‘Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ’ (Gal 6:2),” Martinez said. “The challenge is that many of our clergy have been doing the bearing, but without someone helping to carry their burden.”
“And the reality is this: When that weight builds over time, it can lead to deep isolation, burnout, and even moments of despair,” Martinez said.
“My hope for the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Colorado Springs is simple but urgent: that no priest or deacon ever feels alone in his suffering again,” he said.
‘True fraternity’
The Clergy Outreach and Resilience program “is about building what the Church has always called us to be: true fraternity,” Martinez said.
“As the Holy Father has emphasized, authentic bonds are essential to our humanity; without them, we risk isolation and interior collapse,” Martinez said.
Martinez co-founded the program with Father Brad Noonan as well as with the support of both Archbishop Emeritus Samuel Aquila and Archbishop-designate James Golka of Denver and others.
Noonan spent more than 26 years as a fire department chaplain and 14 years as a police chaplain. Currently the pastor at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, Noonan said he likes how the program “provides a one-on-one support program for priests and deacons.”
“I have seen one-on-one trained peer support help firefighters and law enforcement, including the International Association of Fire Fighters,” Noonan told EWTN News.
“When I first started in the fire service there were some elements to help firefighters deal with the emotional demands of the job,” he recalled.
Support didn’t always begin with formal meetings with a counselor. It often involved “dining-table talk after a bad call” or talking on the way back in the fire engine, Noonan explained.
“There are a lot of mental and emotional stressors that priests and deacons encounter everyday,” Noonan explained. “It is our hope that this program develops well and expands throughout the United States and across the world.”
“What makes this program unique is that it integrates proven peer-support practices from high-stress professions with a deeply Catholic vision of brotherhood rooted in Christ,” Martinez said.
“This is not just about mental health; it is about spiritual fatherhood and fraternity,” Martinez said. “It is about living the command of Christ: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (Jn 15:12).”
“When a shepherd is supported, he can stand firm,” Martinez said.
“As St. Paul writes: ‘We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair’ (2 Cor 4:8),” Martinez quoted. “That is the resilience we are building.”
“This is about carrying the weight, together,” Martinez said. “And ultimately, it is about hope.”
World Down Syndrome Day: What you may not know about the Special Olympics
For decades, Special Olympics has provided sports training and athletic competition to help children and adults with intellectual disabilities develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and foster a sense of community among individuals both with and without disabilities.
March 21 marks World Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day to advocate for the legal rights of people with Down syndrome and promote greater inclusion for people with the genetic condition, which can cause intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, distinct physical characteristics, and increased risks of certain health problems.
The day helps to draw attention to the nearly half a million Americans with Down syndrome and the 3,000 to 5,000 children who are born with the chromosome disorder every year.
To promote community among people with Down syndrome and other challenges, Special Olympics works to create opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy.
Here are five facts you may not know about the global organization:
1. Special Olympics is active on every continent.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities with nearly 5 million Special Olympics athletes.
It has programs operating across the globe every day and holds the Special Olympics World Games every two years alternating between summer and winter. Anyone over the age of 8 with intellectual disabilities is eligible to compete.
Programs and training are present in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of 2024, it was active in 177 countries spanning each continent.
From weight lifting to speed skating, the programs and games offer a diverse range of athletics with more more than 30 Olympic-style sports available. Soccer, basketball, and bocce are some of the most popular.
In 2022 alone, there were 46,000 Special Olympics sports competitions, averaging to 126 per day. About 16,000 of the competitions were Unified, meaning people with and without intellectual disabilities competed on the same teams.
2. The organization operates in tens of thousands of schools.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program is active in nearly 11,000 schools in the U.S. It has trained youth leaders and educators to create more inclusive education systems by including students in all aspects of school life.
The program is aimed at promoting social inclusion through implemented activities in K–12 schools and across college campuses. Through the programming, young people with and without disabilities come together on sports teams, create student clubs, and foster youth leadership. As many as 19.5 million young people are taking part in the experiences.
3. The movement all started in a backyard.
The Special Olympics movement began in 1962 when its founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, hosted a summer camp in her backyard for kids with disabilities at her Maryland farm.
“Camp Shriver” was motivated by the unfair treatment of children with disabilities including Shriver’s sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who had an intellectual disability and loved sports.
Shriver reached out to schools and clinics in her area to find special-needs children who might be interested in her camp. She then recruited high school and college students to act as counselors, ending up with 34 children and 26 counselors.
The children swam, played soccer, shot baskets, and rode horses. Not only did the camp prove the kids could play sports, but it also helped the young counselors see the participants in another light — as children who merely wanted to have fun and compete, just like any other kid.
Shriver passed away in 2009, but her son Timothy Shriver has carried on her legacy and led Special Olympics for three decades. For his work as an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, he received the University of Notre Dame’s 2026 Laetare Medal.
4. Multiple Special Olympics athletes have set world records.
Special Olympics is not only creating unity and confidence but also has built up record-breaking athletes.
Chris Nikic set a Guinness World Record by becoming the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full IRONMAN in November 2020. The Special Olympics Florida athlete has also competed in golf, track and field, swimming, basketball, and triathlons.
In 2024, Lloyd Martin, an athlete with Down syndrome, ran the TCS London Marathon in a little under seven hours at the age of 19. He set a new Guinness World Record for the youngest known person with Down syndrome to complete a marathon.
Other athletes including cyclists Tom Kelsall and Hannah Kemp have set Guinness World Records titles for their accomplishments completing in the Ford RideLondon-Essex100, a 100-mile race in the U.K.
5. The organization goes beyond sports.
While athletics is at the forefront of Special Olympics, it also provides other opportunities and care. The organization offers year-round health support and advocates for better access to social services and health care for people with disabilities.
Since 1997, Special Olympics athletes have had access to free health screenings through the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program, which works to close the gap in health care access between those with disabilities and the rest of the population.
Special Olympics Healthy Athletes has conducted more than 2 million screenings and has also trained 300,000 health care professionals.
Organization representatives also make an annual visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress to advocate for the needs of Americans with intellectual disabilities.
Bishop Barron slams Carrie Prejean for ‘absurd’ claims on removal from Religious Liberty Commission
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, on March 20 criticized what he described as “absurd” claims from Carrie Prejean Boller that she was booted from the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty because of her Catholic beliefs.
Boller, an outspoken Catholic and a former Miss California USA contestant, was removed from the commission in February after repeatedly criticizing “Zionism” at a commission hearing on Feb. 9.
The hearing focused on combatting antisemitism in the U.S., though Boller during the hearing regularly brought up the subject of Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel.
“I’m a Catholic, and Catholics do not embrace Zionism, just so you know,” Boller said at one point. Elsewhere she asked witnesses if they were willing to “condemn what Israel has done in Gaza.”
In announcing Boller’s removal, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — the chairman of the commission — argued that “no member of the commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue.”
“This is clearly, without question, what happened ... in our hearing on antisemitism in America,” he said at the time.
‘Simply preposterous’ discrimination claims
Boller has spoken out publicly about the controversy in the weeks since her removal, alleging that she was booted from the commission because of her Catholic faith. In a March 20 post on X, she suggested that the religious liberty commission “does not truly care about religious liberty” and suggested that she was removed “for faithfully articulating the Church’s teaching.”
In that post she suggested that Barron — who himself serves on the commission — was not sufficiently defending the Catholic faith by refusing to speak up about the alleged discrimination.
“If my religious freedom is not protected, then no one’s is,” she wrote to Barron. “Please speak up. Please stand up for Catholics.”
In a blistering response, Barron bluntly dismissed Boller’s allegations as “absurd.”
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“Mrs. Prejean Boller was not dismissed for her religious convictions but rather for her behavior at a gathering of the commission last month: browbeating witnesses, aggressively asserting her point of view, [and] hijacking the meeting for her own political purposes,” the bishop said.
Barron noted that he “fully subscribes” to the Catholic position on Zionism, which includes unequivocal opposition to antisemitism along with an acknowledgment that Israel has a right to exist but does not “stand beyond criticism.”
“If Mrs. Prejean Boller were dismissed for holding these beliefs, it is difficult to understand why I am still a member of the commission,” Barron wrote.
“To paint herself as a victim of anti-Catholic prejudice or to claim that her religious liberty has been denied is simply preposterous,” he argued.
The commission met most recently on March 16 to discuss religious freedom in health care. Barron said during the hearing that Catholics are increasingly being pushed out of health care and social services.
“We’ve got to come forward in the public space, articulate what is the human good. I think we’ve become more reticent, and we’ve succumbed to the pressures from the secular ideology,” he said.
Alongside Barron, other prominent Catholics on the commission include Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson and Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
The commission’s advisory board also features San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone; Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki; and Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades.
Church leaders in India slam government’s dismissal of religious freedom report
BANGALORE, India — Church leaders in India have expressed frustration and concern over the Indian government’s rejection of the 2026 report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) amid steadily increasing atrocities against minority Christians.
The 2026 USCIRF annual report about conditions related to religious freedom in 2025 urged the U.S. government to designate India as a “country of particular concern” for allegedly “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.”
The report also called for targeted sanctions on India’s external intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, translated “National Volunteer Corps”), known as the fountainhead of Hindu nationalism.
“We have taken note of the latest report… We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterization of India. For several years now, USCIRF has persisted in presenting a distorted and selective picture of India,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said March 16.
“Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the United States, which merit serious attention,” Jaiswal said.
Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash, who is based in western Gujarat state, reacted to the government’s rejection of the USCIRF report, telling EWTN News on March 17: “The Indian government is in its normal denial mode. Politicians of the ruling regime and their caged parrot bureaucrats have mainstreamed the art of lying.”
He pointed out: “What USCIRF has stated and has been doing so all these years are incontrovertible facts. There is sufficient documented evidence to prove their charges.”
Despite the government denial, the ecumenical United Christian Forum (UCF), which has been documenting atrocities against Christians, has recorded a steady increase in the number of atrocities against Christians since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in 2014, recording 834 in 2024 compared with fewer than 140 in 2014.
“It is not hidden that the splinter groups of RSS are involved in creating an atmosphere of hatred against religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians,” A.C. Michael, a Catholic and UCF coordinator, told EWTN News.
Following widespread violence against Christians, the UCF wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early 2026. “In 2024, the UCF recorded a total of 834 incidents of violence against Christians, revealing a disturbing trend in religious persecution. As of November 2025, a staggering 706 incidents targeting Christians …. have been recorded by the UCF,” the letter said.
As incidents of anti-Christmas violence started pouring in, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), sent a video appeal on Christmas Eve to Modi and chief ministers across the country “to ensure strict enforcement of the law and provide proactive protection to Christian communities.”
“Today, it is with deep pain and concern that I speak over the disturbing rise in attacks on Christians in several parts of our country. During this holy Christmas season, we are pained to hear about it,” Thazhath said in his video message.
The Feb. 3–10 biennial assembly of over 200 bishops in India at Bangalore also reiterated this concern in its final statement: “As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy.”
“All persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion,” the CBCI asserted, quoting Article 25 of the constitution.
However, hundreds have been arrested, including nuns and priests, under the draconian anti-conversion laws.
On March 16, the Supreme Court of India quashed a conversion case against a youth for praying inside his house with his friend. The young man was imprisoned for days in 2023 in northern Uttar Pradesh state, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF India). Later, the man’s father was also charged with conversion, and the family petitioned various courts for three years, eventually ending up at the Supreme Court, where the case was dropped.
“The so-called Freedom of Religion Acts popularly known as ‘anti-conversion laws’ adopted in most of BJP-ruled states are being implemented under pressure from RSS in the name of forceful conversions. Till today there has not been a single conviction in any court of law in India,” Michael said.
According to Michael, the “call for a ban on the activities of RSS is nothing new” — India’s first home minister, Sardar Patel, as well as Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Narasimha Rao all banned RSS “citing dangerous activities and acts of violence, including arson, robbery, and murder.”
Prakash, who has spoken up consistently for victims of the 2002 attack on Muslims following the torching of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, said: “On every global parameter, India has reached an abysmal low. The government is so rankled that it even tries to defend the likes of the RSS speaks volumes.”
“The least the government should do is in all humility and honesty to accept the truth and take corrective measures immediately,” he urged.