Friar Storm: The pro wrestler and priest who inspired a Hollywood film and changed hundreds of lives
Sometimes clad in alb and chasuble, other times in a wrestling costume: Such was the life of the Mexican priest Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, better known as “Fray Tormenta” (“Friar Storm”), a man who celebrated Mass by day and wrestled in a mask by night.
With the goal of sustaining an orphanage that provided a home for dozens of children, Gutiérrez decided to enter the world of freestyle wrestling, which combines sport and spectacle and is deeply rooted in Mexican popular culture.
The name of Friar Storm echoes through wrestling arenas from Mexico to Japan, but his story achieved global fame thanks to a 2006 film inspired by him: “Nacho Libre,” starring Jack Black (though the priest has always been quick to clarify that the movie is not his biography, because, he said, “I never stalked a nun").
Today, at the age of 80, Friar Storm is waging a different kind of battle. He still celebrates Mass occasionally, and facing advancing blindness as well as the ailments typical of old age, he supports himself by selling wrestling-themed merchandise.
A life marked by violence
Gutiérrez was born in 1945 in a town in the state of Hidalgo, although he grew up in Mexico City near the Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica. As he told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, it was a neighborhood “of kicks and punches,” a place where violence was a daily reality.
There he fell in with “gang kids” who introduced him to the world of drugs. That addiction, he confessed with sadness, led him to a life of crime; he was even arrested for homicide, but he managed to prove his innocence.
Upon reaching adulthood, he wanted to leave that life behind. He sought help at a church, and this led him to consider a priestly vocation. “I said to myself: ‘If there werenʼt cool priests, good guys, really down-to-earth, how many of us wouldn’t change?’”
Gutiérrez recounted that he found spiritual support in a religious brother from the Mercedarian order who took him to a detox clinic and subsequently helped him enter the Order of Poor Regular Clerics of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools, known as the Piarists, where he completed his novitiate around 1962.
Before professing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, his formator asked the novices to share their life stories. Gutiérrez recalled feeling afraid that the others would discover who he truly was and he considered running away. Then his formator told him that he need not fear, because “it is precisely people like you that the Church needs.”
While serving as a deacon in the port of Veracruz, where he taught classes and assisted at a parish, he recalled that the young people told him: “We don’t want priests here.” He won their friendship over time and was ordained a priest there on May 26, 1973.
Thus began his ministry, marked by his work helping young people whom he affectionately called his “cubs,” kids who accompanied him wherever he went. His bond with them was such that, even when he was transferred to other parishes, they would follow him, and he would take it upon himself to find them temporary homes.
Around 1976, acting on the suggestion of a Piarist superior, he decided to leave the order and seek out a bishop who would accept him “along with all my ‘chamacos’” (as children are known in Mexico).
In the state of Mexico in the Diocese of Texcoco, he was welcomed by Bishop Magín C. Torreblanca Reyes, who gave him a chapel and the opportunity to embark on his dream of building a childrenʼs home, a project he began with 15 youths. “The most I ever had living with me at one time was 350,” he noted.
From the altar to the ring: The origins of Friar Storm
With no money to build his orphanage, he recalled an old inspiration: the 1962 film “El Señor Tormenta” (“Mr. Storm”), in which a priest becomes a masked wrestler. He originally fantasized about becoming a boxer, fighting a couple of bouts, earning $2 million, and using that money to build the shelter.
He couldn’t find anyone to teach him to box, however, but it was in that search that he met José Ramírez, “El Líder” (“The Leader”), an amateur wrestler who taught him how to do basic moves.
To launch his wrestling career, he adopted the name of the character who had inspired him. “Mr. Storm was a ‘mister’; I’m a friar so I took the name Friar Storm,” he recalled. He then went to see Ranulfo López, one of the most prominent mask-makers in the industry, who helped him design his mask.
“The yellow signifies the quick reflexes that Friar Storm sought to display in the ring; the red signifies the blood which he is willing to shed for his orphans’ home, and [at the center of the mask] the diamond, to attain eternal life,” he recalled.
In his first fight in 1977, he earned a mere handful of pesos, yet he didn’t hesitate to donate the entire sum to lay the foundations for the “Casa Hogar de los Cachorros” (“Home for the Cubs”).
From modest neighborhood arenas, he gradually climbed the ranks to reach the most professional venues. His name began to spread by word of mouth, though his career did not truly take off until 1983, when the wrestler “Hurricane Ramírez” revealed his true identity, a secret he had kept guarded for six years.
On one occasion “Hurricane” challenged Gutiérrez to a match, but he declined because he had to officiate a wedding. Much to Gutiérrez’s disbelief, he showed up on the day of the religious ceremony, unmasked, among those in attendance.
“He winked at me, and I winked back. The wedding Mass ended; I went to the sacristy, and there he was. He said to me: ‘You really are a priest — and those scoundrels [the wrestlers], look how they beat you up!’
From then on, everyone wanted to see the man who, in addition to delivering homilies, delivered blows in the ring. His fame grew, and with it, so did his apostolate within the world of freestyle wrestling. “I began baptizing [the other wrestlers'] children; I began hearing their confessions and [giving them] their first Communions,” he recalled.
“I would be leaving after a match, and even the wrestlers themselves would say to me: ‘Won’t you give me your blessing, Father? Where can I find you? I’d like to go to confession,’” the priest related.
Although inside the ring “they showed me no mercy since I was already among the stars — everyone wanted to beat Friar Storm," outside the ring, “they never once disrespected me.”
A legacy that impacted lives
Although Gutiérrez admitted he did not understand how he managed to balance his life — juggling his wrestling career, the children’s home, and the priesthood — he attributes it all to divine providence. “God helped me a great deal,” he affirmed.
“It was very difficult for me because for instance I would finish wrestling at 10 or 11 o’clock at night, and then I would drive back from wherever I happened to be. I would arrive just in time to celebrate [Mass] on Monday morning.”
With a smile, he declared: “No one can tell you that there was no Mass because I went off to wrestle.”
Among the many children he helped was “Storm Jr.,” who arrived at the orphanage when he was barely 12 years old, hailing from a small town in the state of Nayarit. In an interview with ACI Prensa, he recalled: “We would sleep three, four, or five to a room or sometimes on the floor.”
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He, too, wanted to dedicate himself to professional wrestling. In doing so, he gained not only a mentor but also a close friend, a bond that has endured ever since, as the two now live together: “Since he is getting on in years and is quite elderly, there is no one to look after him but me.”
Currently, both men support themselves by selling official Friar Storm merchandise such as keychains, masks, and other items to attendees at wrestling events.
“Storm Jr.” said he feels a great sense of responsibility “because I bear this name and have a godfather, a very famous mentor like Friar Storm.”
From the orphanage, which Gutiérrez eventually sold to pay for the university studies of his “cubs,” came three doctors, 16 teachers, two accountants, 20 computer technicians, 13 lawyers, and a priest. In addition, he sponsored several young wrestlers.
One of them is Father “Fuerza Divina” (“Divine Force”). Although he didn’t live in the orphanage, he was inspired by the priest’s example. Today, he combines his priestly ministry with professional wrestling. In the courtyard of his parish in Mexico City, he installed a small wrestling ring where young people train while simultaneously receiving spiritual formation.
He shared with ACI Prensa that he uses that ring “not only to give them actual wrestling lessons but also to impart a message about values, a message of evangelization.”
“Thanks to this, many are drawing closer to the parish. Many of them are leaving negative things behind. Many of them are behaving better, both with their families and in their own personal lives,” Father “Divine Force” said.
The story of Friar Storm has inspired films, vocations, and hundreds of lives. Today, at 80 years old, the old wrestler lives an austere life, yet one with a heart full of gratitude. “I wrestled with a single objective: that everything I earned would go to the children’s home... I never did get that $2 million, but I do want to say that I am proud.”
And if he had to choose between the wrestling ring and the altar, his choice is clear: “Friar Storm would never have existed had I not been a priest.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
How to vote based on Catholic doctrine: A priest’s method of discernment
One of the questions that often weighs on a Catholicʼs conscience when elections approach is how to decide which candidate to vote for.
Father Duberley Salazar has developed the “Discern” method, which is presented through short videos available on the “Clínica del Alma” (“Clinic for the Soul”) Instagram account. Salazar explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the videos serve “as a practical tool to guide and form oneʼs conscience in making responsible political decisions.”
“We live in complex times: times of moral confusion, social polarization, and political decisions that profoundly shape the destiny of individuals, families, and peoples. In this context, a decisive question arises: How should a Christian discern when faced with concrete political choices?” the Colombian priest states in the introductory video.
He also points out that Christianity possesses “an inescapable social and political dimension”; consequently, the method he has developed is grounded in that "which seeks the common good and which the Gospel illuminates, purifies, and elevates” and seeks to enlighten those believers who “experience a disconnect between the faith they profess and the decisions they make in public life.”
“They believe, but they don’t always discern. They vote, but not always from a formed conscience. From this dissonance is born a weak, disembodied faith incapable of transforming history,” he notes.
The videos have been developed based on the “principles of sacred Scripture, the social doctrine of the Church, moral theology, philosophy, political science, bioethics, and psychology, uniting faith and reason, spirituality and social responsibility.”
The program "is neither an ideological manual nor a partisan guide. It is an ethical and spiritual compass, designed to inform the conscience without imposing decisions,” the priest explains.
For example, the first video, titled “God First,” invites viewers to pray and place their vote in God’s hands before making a decision, because “it’s not about choosing what suits me best but rather what glorifies God and promotes the common good.”
The second video, titled “Get Informed,” urges viewers not to vote “blindly” but rather to inform themselves beforehand regarding the situation in their country or locality, each candidate, their platforms, and “their respect for the rule of law, the constitution, and democratic norms.”
“Faith does not exclude reason; on the contrary, it enlightens and purifies it,” the video notes.
Thus, the method proceeds, reflecting on service, consistency with Christian values, listening to that voice within, responsibility, the need to be exemplary in virtue, inspiration that edifies, and resilience.
What to do when there is no ideal candidate
In a document shared with ACI Prensa, Salazar explains that if, after evaluating the candidates, it is discovered that “none fully meet” the outlined criteria, one may “apply the moral principle of the ‘lesser evil’ or the ‘choosing the possible good.’”
“This principle teaches that, in situations where no option is ideal, it is licit to choose the least harmful one or the one that offers greater consistency with Christian values, thereby avoiding contribution to a greater evil or to the deterioration of society,” he states.
The priest points out that “the intention is not to seek human perfection, which no one possesses, but rather to act with responsibility, prudence, and faithful obedience to the Gospel, insofar as is possible.”
He also noted that St. Thomas Aquinas referred to this moral principle when he noted: “Do not do evil so that good may come of it; always do whatever good you can, and avoid whatever evil is possible.”
“This means that when voting, it is not merely a matter of choosing what comes closest to the good, but also of avoiding options that could gravely harm the common good or human dignity,” Salazar explains.
However, if one determines that no candidate respects fundamental values, “the option of casting a blank ballot exists in some electoral systems as a way to express your dissatisfaction.”
The priest points out that “from a moral and Christian standpoint, this option may be legitimate when, in truth, none of the candidates represents the common good or consistency with fundamental values.”
But he noted that it is also important “to discern whether this gesture responsibly expresses your will or if, on the contrary, it could indirectly favor an option contrary to those values.”
“For this reason, the principle of the ‘lesser evil’ invites you not only to choose the least harmful option but also to evaluate the real consequences of your vote within the specific context of your country and of society as a whole,” Salazar notes.
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.
Cultural shifts drive decline in U.S. marriage rates, Heritage report says
Cultural shifts regarding sex and unwed childbearing as well as heightened material expectations for marriage are the driving forces behind America’s falling marriage rates, according to a Heritage Foundation report.
While declining wages among working-class men is sometimes cited as reason for declining marriage rates, especially among moderate- to low-income brackets, Rachel Sheffield, a Heritage Foundation research fellow, said “the data tell a different story.”
Over the past 50 years, the report said, marriage rates have declined from more than 90% of Americans having married by ages 30-35 in 1962 to 55% as of 2025.
“While inflation-adjusted earnings did decline among working-class and lower-income men during the 1970s and 1980s, earnings rose thereafter and have fluctuated since then — even as marriage rates have steadily dropped,” the report said. “Although economic factors may explain why marriage declined during some periods across the past several decades, cultural shifts instead have been the main drivers.”
“The economic argument doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny,” Sheffield told EWTN News. Sheffield said census data about the median earnings of men in their 20s and 30s has been “mostly flat” or fluctuated but not gone down consistently overall. Though “at certain times there were downturns,” she said, wages have “reached some of the highest levels they have had in the last 50 years.”
“I think the bigger point is that in the past,” she said, “owning a home or having a particular size of home was less of a prerequisite to entering marriage than it is today.”
Sheffield said one of the factors driving higher material expectations is that “people go into marriage today with more of an expectation that this might not last because of shifts over time in divorce rates.”
According to Pew Research Center data, 1 in 3 Americans who have ever been married have also experienced a divorce. However, Pew Research Center notes that divorce rates have been down since the 1980s, partly due to the married population shifting to adults with higher levels of education and people with lower levels of education becoming less likely to marry at all.
While Sheffield said cultural norms about sex and childbearing have shifted across income levels, the shift has been most impactful on the working class, which she said is more likely to have children out of wedlock.
“People at all education and income levels have embraced the cultural push to disconnect marriage and sex, but among the college-educated, roughly 90% of children are born within marriage,” the report said. “While the college-educated are most likely to promote the cultural messages that marriage is unnecessary, outdated, and even oppressive, they do not practice what they preach.”
Furthermore, she said, “having a child [outside of marriage] is going to make it less likely for you to get married down the road because it is just a greater family complexity.”
On a policy level, Sheffield called for funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be used for “strengthening marriages,” including through high school marriage education programs.
She highlighted Utah’s “Healthy Marriage Initiative” as a strong example of a state providing marriage-preparation resources, including a discount on marriage licenses for couples who complete premarital education programs.
In addition to front-loading marriage education at the high school level, Sheffield called for a reorientation of cultural messages in the media, TV shows, and advertisements that “have information on why marriage is important and that can lead people to educational resources on how to strengthen marriage.”
‘God hears the cries of the victims,’ Mexican bishop assures at Walk for Peace
The president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference issued a powerful call to the Church and society not to turn away from those suffering because of the violence that is the result of organized crime, declaring that “our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca delivered the message during the 12th annual Walk for Peace in his diocese on Saturday, May 16, as thousands gathered to reject resignation in the face of ongoing violence.
This march, he said, demonstrates that the people of Morelos are “a people who keep moving forward, who don’t give up, and who continue to believe that peace is possible.”
According to the most recent report by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, 17 Mexican localities appear on the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Cuernavaca ranks 23rd.
Guarding the ‘flame’ of peace
After recalling the message of Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 World Day of Peace observed on Jan. 1, in which the Holy Father described peace as “a small flame threatened by the storm,” Castro affirmed: “That is what we have come here to do today: to guard that flame so that it’s not extinguished by the storm. And we do so together, for if we stand alone, it goes out. But together, we can keep it lit.”
The Mexican prelate emphasized that his message is not “that of a politician, nor of a social analyst, nor of someone who seeks to point out the suffering of others from a distance. I speak as a shepherd, as a brother who walks alongside his people.”
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“I speak as a disciple of Jesus Christ who has seen too many tears on the faces of [the people of] Morelos and of Mexico, of our homeland, so deeply wounded by the violence afflicting our families,” he noted.
“I have heard the mothers who break their silence, searching [for their disappeared children],” he continued. “I have seen the fear of young people who feel their future slipping away; the weariness of entire families living amid uncertainty, violence, and abandonment; the exhaustion of transport workers unable to earn an honest living because organized crime holds them in subjugation; and the fed-up frustration of so many who can no longer put up with the corruption we endure.”
In the face of this suffering, he said, “the Church cannot remain indifferent, nor take refuge in the comforting atmosphere of its churches; for the God in whom we believe is not a God who observes from afar, he is the God of the burning bush, the God who said to Moses: ‘I have seen the oppression of my people, I have heard their outcry, and I have come down to deliver them.’ Our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”
“The Church is not here to divide or to sow confusion out of ambition or to gain power; the Church is here to build based on the truth, for only the truth can open the way to authentic reconciliation,” the prelate said.
“In the face of the person mourning a child, of the one who has been forcibly disappeared, of the one being extorted, or of the one who has lost hope — there is Christ, crying out once again from the cross,” he lamented.
A priest forced to leave his parish due to death threats
The prelate subsequently referred to the “particular wound” afflicting the small town of Huautla, in southern Morelos — one of the “poorest and most forgotten corners of our state,” a “land of simple, hardworking people; a land hard hit for years by poverty and migration; a land that has watched its children depart in search of the daily bread they can’t get there.”
There, he denounced, “organized crime has reached a level of cruelty that defies description,” exacting extortion payments, also known as protection money, “simply for living there, simply for owning a home.”
“When the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Huautla became the last bastion of hope for the community, as the priest so often is in Mexico’s most vulnerable villages, and when his presence and his words were the only support the people had left to keep from sinking into despair, organized crime threatened to take his life.”
“Those threats were so serious, so real, and so concrete that he was forced to leave his community for his own physical protection; and today, Huautla is left without a shepherd,” he lamented.
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Governing means not abandoning the people
Castro emphasized in his message that “governing means not abandoning the people. Governing means not refusing to take up the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and well-being of every person within the territory entrusted to them.”
“Our heartfelt plea without mincing words is that Huautla not be left all alone; that the government do its job to help the mothers searching [for their disappeared children] an effort which they rightly deserve; that transport workers be afforded security; that thousands upon thousands of merchants — micro, small, and medium-sized alike — be able to work without having to pay protection money; and that our young people be provided with real alternatives: quality education, decent jobs, and personal safety, so that organized crime is not the only door open to them.”
“We ask you, government officials, not to sell us false narratives. The people aren’t buying them anymore then you declare peace, while 90% of the people of Morelos are afraid to step out onto the street. That’s not governing; that’s an insult to the intelligence of the people,” he stated.
At the same time, he assured the authorities of help from the Church and its priests, religious, and communities: “We’re not here to criticize for the sake of criticism; we are here to contribute, to offer accompaniment, to put forward proposals, and to walk together toward peace.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV thanks Catholic Extension Society for its assistance to migrants and the poor
In an address to its board of governors, Pope Leo XIV thanked the Catholic Extension Society on May 18 for the assistance it provides to the poor.
The pontiff praised the organization’s founder, Father Francis Clement Kelley, who more than 120 years ago “sought to reach out to remote faith communities across the United States in order to bring to them the very life of Christ through the sacraments and the support of a larger Catholic community.”
“This missionary enthusiasm is still needed today, and so I would like to thank you for your continued efforts to minister to the needs of the poorer Catholic communities both in the United States and abroad,” the pope noted.
“In a particular way, I would like to commend your work in Cuba and in Puerto Rico. The support you provide to these communities is a beautiful expression of the universality of the Church and a living reminder that ‘love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God,’" the pope emphasized, citing his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te.
He praised the pastoral care the society offers to the most disadvantaged “as well as to the numerous immigrant families in the United States.”
“It is imperative that our brothers and sisters experience the warmth of a community which is marked by the presence of Christ,” he emphasized.
The Catholic Extension Society raises funds to support and strengthen under-resourced mission dioceses throughout the United States. Founded in 1905, it is headquartered in Chicago.
The pope, a native of the Chicago area, took this opportunity to make a joke: “When someone from Dolton, Illinois, comes, we have to open all the doors! There aren’t many of us around anymore," he quipped.
As they continue their mission, he added, Catholic Extension Societyʼs dedication to not “only alleviate the temporal needs of those less fortunate” but also to “invest in building up vibrant Catholic communities is particularly necessary today.”
“Faith-filled communities provide an opportunity for individuals to experience the joy of new life in Christ lived out in a daily, ordinary fashion,” the Holy Father pointed out.
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.
Calling nuclear weapons immoral, Archbishop Wester urges halt to production of plutonium pits
Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has strongly urged the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to stop expanding production of plutonium pits, the triggers used in nuclear weapons.
In a written statement, read by a priest on Wester’s behalf at a public hearing on May 14, the archbishop described nuclear weapons as “immoral” and “genocidal.” The priest who read the statement is from Hiroshima, Japan, where the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb in 1945.
The hearing, the fourth of five scheduled this month, drew more than 130 people in person and roughly 100 online, with the vast majority expressing opposition to the agency’s draft environmental impact statement, in which it lays out its plan to ramp up plutonium pit production.
Wester directly challenged the position of the NNSA that increased pit production complies with the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He argued that the treaty’s core bargain requires nuclear-armed states to work toward disarmament, a commitment he said has not been fulfilled.
“The essential bargain of the NPT was that the nuclear weapons states try to negotiate nuclear disarmament,” Westerʼs statement said. “The nuclear weapons powers have never upheld that part of the bargain.”
The NNSA proposal calls for at least 80 pits per year by 2030, as required by the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, potentially split between Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
Between the two locations, they could produce around 200 pits per year.
The current number of pits being produced annually is “classified,” according to Toni Chiri, a spokesperson for the NNSA’s Los Alamos field office.
Chiri stated that the agency values public input and will consider comments as it prepares a final environmental impact statement.
‘Peace through atomic strength’
Nevertheless, Chiri emphasized the NNSA’s mission. “We make weapons that deter our adversaries. Atomic strength is essential for U.S. nuclear deterrence and national security.”
During the hearing, a screen displayed the NNSA’s slogan: “Peace through atomic strength.” The NNSA is housed within the U.S. Department of Energy.
The prelate’s intervention carried particular weight coming from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which has lived for decades with the legacy of nuclear weapons development at Los Alamos in northern New Mexico.
Wester’s message aligns with consistent Church teaching that the use of nuclear weapons is incompatible with peace and human dignity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns “indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants,” calling them “a crime against God and man.”
It does not, however, explicitly declare the possession of nuclear weapons immoral. That stronger language has come more recently from Pope Francis.
In 2022, Francis wrote: “I wish to reaffirm that the use of nuclear weapons, as well as their mere possession, is immoral,” in a letter to Ambassador Alexander Kmentt, president of the First Meeting of States Parties, regarding the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
During his year-old pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has made multiple calls for peace. He has also warned of the dangers of modern warfare, including the threat of nuclear escalation at a time when global tensions remain high, and he has called for renewed international efforts toward disarmament and de-escalation.
Comments on the draft environmental impact statement will be accepted until July 16. The NNSA expects to issue a final decision early next year, though some commenters noted that as the agency is required by law to manufacture the pits, public hearings are useless.
Chiri said, however, that “NNSA does listen; we take the comments — especially those that actually address the document — and consider those as we work towards our final document.”
“Based on the turnout tonight, it’s clear that the public is paying attention and wants to provide its input,” she said.
Many attendees at the hearing also raised concerns about environmental impacts, water usage, waste disposal, and the health of workers and surrounding communities. Several speakers also questioned why a genuine “no-action” alternative — meaning no new pit production — was not seriously considered.
White House official promotes faith-based drug abuse prevention and recovery programs
A White House official in President Donald Trump’s administration expressed a desire to work more closely with churches and faith-based leaders in efforts to confront both drug and human trafficking and assist in recovery.
Victor Avila, assistant director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), made the comments during a panel discussion on border security and immigration enforcement hosted by the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Hispanic Leadership Coalition in Washington, D.C., on May 14.
“We need to get the church involved,” he said, referencing a ONDCP report that emphasizes the importance of faith-based partners.
The report, issued this month, details the administration’s drug control strategy and states the office will ensure access to evidence-based prevention and recovery programs that are faith-based. It lists faith leaders as important partners and advocates and encourages them to use their role to promote a social norm that is opposed to using drugs and supportive of treatment for addicts.
Avila told EWTN News after the panel that he hopes churches can also assist in the realm of human trafficking, noting that much of it “happens in plain sight.”
Both the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have been outspoken on the issue of human trafficking in recent years, with the Vatican hosting an international conference last year on the issue and the U.S. bishops running programs and promoting policies to combat human trafficking.
Illicit drugs, human trafficking, and border policies
The discussion of drug control and human trafficking was part of a broader conversation about border security and immigration enforcement in the country.
While the U.S. bishops support border security, they have been at odds with the administration over various immigration enforcement policies.
During the panel, Avila indicated that the work to secure the border has been essential to the “drop in drugs coming in” and noted “the illegal alien rate [is] almost at zero.” He specifically noted significant drops in poisonings related to fentanyl, which he also credited to dramatically improved border security during the current administration.
Alfonso Aguilar, AFPI director of Hispanic engagement, similarly noted humanitarian concerns that overlap with border security, noting people making journeys to cross the border unlawfully often face “violence, exploitation, and even death along the way” with many women and girls being victimized through “rape and sexual assault.”
“That’s not a humane system,” he said, emphasizing that migration should be “effective, lawful, and humane.”
Panelists, including Avila and Aguilar, defended the administration’s mass deportation agenda, arguing that those policies are required for safety. Although a low percentage of migrants facing deportation have committed violent crimes, panelists claimed that a majority have some form of criminal history.
Aguilar said that number is 70% — the same number reported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This number includes people convicted of crimes and those who face charges but have no convictions. It includes both felonies and misdemeanors.
Speaking to EWTN News, Aguilar said some nonviolent crimes are serious: “Child pornography is not a violent crime. It is a serious crime. Those are being detained as well.” During the panel, he noted other nonviolent crimes that put people at risk, such as driving while intoxicated.
“There is a 30% who are collateral arrests, but they are arrested when thereʼs an enforcement operation going after a criminal,” he told EWTN News.
Michael Garcia, a former Republican congressman from California, said during the panel that it’s important to “hold the criminals accountable first,” calling enforcement “common sense.”
During the panel, Emilio González, former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also noted that he is an immigrant, but he considers illegal immigration to be the greatest threat to legal immigration.
“It should be legal, it should be safe, it should be orderly,” he said.
Family separation, mass deportations
Before the panel began, Aguilar, a Catholic, quoted the concerns Cardinal Robert Sarah has expressed about large-scale migration, in which the cardinal noted that people come to Europe “penniless, without work, without dignity.”
“The Church cannot cooperate with this new form of slavery that has become mass migration,” Sarah said.
At the same time, Pope Leo XIV has encouraged support for migrants. In addition, the USCCB overwhelmingly backed a November 2025 joint statement to oppose “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and unnecessary separation of families.
A Brookings Institution report this week estimated that more than 100,000 children have been separated from their families as part of deportation proceedings.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to EWTN News that immigration enforcement “does not separate families,” adding: “Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement.”
Avila, who had a career in federal law enforcement before joining the Trump administration, told EWTN News it’s “not a good feeling for us as police officers” to separate families, but that if someone in the country unlawfully has children who are citizens, then they have an option for the children to remain in the country or leave with the parent.
“They think that if my kid is a U.S. citizen that I get to somehow stay here,” he said, adding that this situation does not justify remaining in the country unlawfully.
“I arrested countless people in my career,” Avila said of his law enforcement experience. “One hundred percent of the time, I separated families.”
He said immigration enforcement has “separated families all the time” including when Avila worked for DHS under former President Barack Obama. He alleged a “double standard” in rhetoric from “the [political] left.”
DHS reported more than 675,000 deportations in Trump’s first year in office and has estimated more than 2.2 million self-deportations in that time period. Some organizations, including the Center for Migration Studies, have questioned the asserted self-deportation numbers.
Religious freedom division restored at U.S. health agency’s civil rights office
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is set to reestablish a civil rights division focused on religious liberty and conscience protections that was initially created during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
The move, announced May 18, restructures HHS’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) with three divisions: the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, the Civil Rights Division, and the Health Information Privacy, Data, and Cybersecurity Division.
“This reorganization … strengthens the [OCR’s] ability to defend religious liberty, enforce conscience protections, and combat unlawful discrimination,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, HHS will defend these rights with clarity, accountability, and resolve,” he said.
During Trump’s first administration in 2018, HHS established the office, but it was dissolved in 2023 under former President Joe Biden’s administration. According to an HHS news release, the restoration is meant to ensure HHS can better prioritize religious freedom and conscience rights enforcement.
According to the news release, the restoration is meant to build on Trump’s stated effort to eradicate “anti-Christian bias.”
On April 30, the Department of Justice issued a report on eradicating anti-Christian bias, which accused HHS under previous leadership of imposing rules for providers to offer what it called “gender-affirming care for minors.” The report stated that providers interpreted the rules as having “limited or no religious exemptions,” as exemptions were reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Under Biden, HHS also removed some conscience protections for doctors and interpreted the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) as imposing a requirement on hospitals and emergency rooms to offer abortion in “emergency” situations, which prompted lawsuits by Catholic organizations.
“This reorganization reinstitutes a structure that rightly prioritizes civil rights and conscience and religious freedom alongside health information privacy and security,” HHS OCR Director Paula M. Stannard said in a statement. “All three areas are deserving of subject-matter expertise and distinct senior executive leadership for OCR to best serve the American people.”
In March, HHS’s OCR launched investigations into 13 states for allegedly violating federal conscience protections for those who hold moral or religious objections to abortion.
Uganda postpones Martyrs’ Day celebrations over Ebola fears
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda has postponed the 2026 Martyrs’ Day celebrations, traditionally held on June 3 at the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine in the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, because of the Ebola outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from where thousands of pilgrims travel annually for one of the world’s largest Catholic gatherings.
In a press release obtained by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on May 17, Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said the decision follows consultations with key stakeholders in the east African nation.
“After consultations with the national epidemic response task force and religious leaders, we have decided to postpone the Martyrs' Day to a later date, which will be communicated,” Museveni said in the two-page press release by Uganda State House.
The Ugandan president explained that the decision to postpone the annual celebration “was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak.”
“To safeguard everyoneʼs lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed,” he added.
The Ugandan president, who was sworn in for his seventh consecutive term on May 12, expressed regret to pilgrims who had already begun journeys to the Namugongo Martyrs’ Shrine in Kampala, saying that “the protection of life must come first.”
“I encourage those who have begun their journey to return home, continue observing the precautionary measures, report anyone who is sick, and encourage those who are ill to seek medical care,” Museveni said.
The DRC is facing a fresh Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak on May 15 after several deaths were reported in the Ituri province. Health officials say investigations and contact tracing are ongoing, and there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for the Bundibugyo strain.
On May 16, WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, citing risks associated with cross-border movement, delayed case detection, weak health systems, and insecurity in eastern Congo.
The outbreak has heightened fears of cross-border transmission because eastern DRC shares major movement corridors with Uganda and South Sudan.
Preparations for the annual Martyrs' Day pilgrimage had already begun. A May 15 report indicated that Bishop Francis Kibira of Uganda’s Kasese Catholic Diocese had officially set off from Kabuyiri Shrine to receive pilgrims arriving by foot from DRC.
Another May 16 report indicated that pilgrims from Kenya’s Catholic Dioceses of Eldoret, Kapsabet, Kericho, and Nakuru had also begun their journeys to Uganda.
The Namugongo Martyrs’ Shrine stands on the site where St. Charles Lwanga and his companions — many of them pages in the royal court — were executed on the orders of Kabaka (King) Mwanga II of the Buganda kingdom.
Uganda Martyrs’ Day commemorates 45 Christian converts aged between 14 and 50 who were killed between 1885 and 1887 because of their faith during the early years of Christianity in Uganda.
Among them were 22 Catholics who were beatified in 1920 and canonized in 1964. Their witness continues to shape Catholic life in Uganda and has become a significant symbol of Catholic identity and missionary faith worldwide.
The postponement forms part of Uganda’s heightened surveillance measures aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola into the country amid regular movement of pilgrims and travelers across the border.
Earlier in February, the Uganda Episcopal Conference entrusted the Diocese of Kasese with organizing the 2026 celebrations.
In a Feb. 11 update, officials from the diocese’s communications department said cooperation between the diocese and Kasese District Local Government reflected “a shared commitment” to ensuring “a well and spiritually uplifting event.”
“The joint effort underscores unity, faith, and service as both institutions prepare to represent Kasese with dedication and pride at this significant national religious event,” the officials said.
“Through coordinated planning and support,“ they added, ”the district leadership is working closely with Church authorities to mobilize resources, facilitate logistics, and encourage community participation.”
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Nigeria Catholic hospital fire leaves Marian statue untouched, draws non-Catholics to prayer
ENUGU, Nigeria — A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary remained untouched after a fire severely damaged sections of Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Enugu on May 10, the administrator at the facility said.
In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on May 12, Sister Maria Chinaemerem Igwe said the incident has strengthened the faith of many Catholics and drawn Christians from other denominations to the hospital to pray and witness what she described as an extraordinary occurrence.
The Nigerian member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ (IHM) said the fire broke out around 10 p.m. after most staff members had retired for the day.
“As I was coming, I saw flames going above the roof. Everybody around, nurses, workers, and students, had gathered trying to pour water through the windows because the fire had already broken the glass,” Sister Maria recounted, noting that the fire destroyed the reception area, administrative offices, the CCTV control room, the doctors’ lounge, and part of the children’s ward before firefighters from the Enugu State Fire Service contained the blaze.
“Everything in the secretary’s office was burnt to ashes — computers, printers, scanners, and documents. The CCTV room also got destroyed. The doctors’ lounge, which included chairs, tables, televisions, and refrigerators, was burned,” the hospital administrator said.
Sister Maria attributed the incident to a possible power surge linked to unstable electricity supply.
“The light was coming and going within seconds, and we suspected there was a surge that triggered the fire,” she said.
Amid the destruction, however, the Marian statue beside the administrator’s office door was left undamaged, despite nearby objects being affected by the flames.
“The water dispenser beside the statue melted, and the CCTV wire dropped and got burnt in front of Mother Mary, but the statue remained intact; even the tablecloth and flowers around it were untouched,” Sister Maria told ACI Africa on May 12.
She explained that the statue forms part of a devotional practice at the hospital, in which departments host the Marian image for prayer every three months before passing it to another section.
“It happened that Mother Mary was staying in our department during this period,” Sister Maria said, adding: “The fire started from our department, but she blocked it from entering the administrator’s office, where we keep all the major hospital records and documents.”
She further recalled that her personal office showed no evidence of fire damage. “My office was just normal. No smell of smoke, no flame, nothing,” she said. “I started shouting, crying, and singing because I realized this was a great miracle.”
According to Sister Maria, residents, worshippers, and curious visitors have continued to come to the hospital following the incident.
“Some of them said they saw it on Facebook and wanted to confirm whether it was true,” she said.
“One lady from another denomination told me honestly that Catholics have Mother Mary and that Mother Mary is very powerful," Sister Maria recounted, saying that “their faith has increased. If it was 50% before, some people are now at 80% or 90%.”
Reflecting on the incident, the Nigerian religious sister encouraged Christians to deepen devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Those who did not believe in the intercession of Mary should know that she is still interceding for us. If you have true devotion to her, she will never allow you to be ashamed,” she said.
Sister Maria further said that the Catholic hospital, founded in 1957 and named after the Mother of Christ, has a long history of having the Blessed Virgin Mary as its patroness.
“This hospital is her house; anywhere the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, we believe she is present there,” the hospital administrator said, adding that the event has renewed faith among staff, patients, and visitors.
She continued: “Many non-Catholics are now coming here to pray and touch the place; this miracle has the capacity to convert people because they can see that the intercession of Mary is real.”
No casualties were reported in the fire, but Sister Maria said the hospital suffered extensive financial losses.
“We lost 23 new HP desktop computers, printers, air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions, and many other items. But my greatest joy is that no life was lost because no amount of money is greater than human life,” she said.
Sister Maria estimated that the destroyed equipment was worth more than 25 million naira ($18,253), while reconstruction of affected structures could cost approximately 1 billion naira ($738,000).
Appealing for support, she called on government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, benefactors, and former patients to assist the hospital’s rebuilding efforts.
“Mother of Christ [Hospital] has served people for more than 70 years. We are calling on everyone, especially those born in this hospital, to come and assist us. No amount is too small,” she said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.