Nepal flood: Caritas runs community kitchens, sources body bags as toll reaches 919
Five days after Nepal’s worst glacial flood, Caritas continued a full-scale relief operation for thousands of families in the affected area. The work has also taken on the grim task of corpse management, helping deal with the many dead bodies resulting from the catastrophe.
The official death toll of the deluge, provided by authorities, has climbed to 919, and 4,793 people are still missing. More than 930 hydropower workers remain unaccounted for, LiCAS News reported. Many are feared to be trapped in hydro tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli river system.
In a situation report shared with EWTN News on Aug. 30, the president of Caritas Nepal, Father Silas Krishna Bogati, confirmed that the Catholic Church’s response is fully operational. Emergency shelters and hygiene kits have reached over 1,000 households. A cash assistance payment of 15,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $110) is being distributed to 750 of the worst-affected families.
The priest, who also serves as apostolic administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, added that more than 50 community kitchens run daily to feed 300 families.
Operations supported by China and India
The full scale of destruction is yet to be accounted for. Reuters reported that the flood destroyed 19 bridges, roadways, and other crucial infrastructure, hampering emergency aid and the search for survivors.
As rescue operations, supported by China and India, continue amid the risk of landslides and more flooding, aid workers are already flagging a second looming emergency: winter. Displaced families sheltering in high-altitude areas will require thermal gear and winter-proof shelter within weeks, Bogati shared with EWTN News.
Nepal Red Cross has formally asked Caritas Nepal to source more than 1,000 body bags, with decomposition already becoming a public health concern, the president of Caritas Nepal wrote.
To avoid future catastrophes, Nepal and China are expected to improve communication on real-time glacier data, avalanche risks, and water levels.
International pledges for help and support exceed $200 million, with commitments from the United States, Europe, Canada, and the World Bank.
Pope Leo XIV again prayed on Sunday for the flood victims. “Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, U.S. bishops called for international mobilization and “long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure.”
Sixth Chinese bishop ordained under Pope Leo XIV
Father Paolo Liu Honggang was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Datong in China’s Shanxi province on Monday.
The Holy See said Pope Leo XIV appointed Liu bishop of Datong on Aug. 10 after approving his candidacy under the mechanisms established by the Vatican’s agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
The ordination is the third episcopal consecration in China in just two months and the sixth to take place during Leo’s pontificate, although not all six episcopal appointments originated under the current pope.
One of the six prelates had already been ordained a bishop in 2017, while two others were initially selected unilaterally by Chinese authorities during the sede vacante between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Leo. The new pope subsequently approved their appointments.
A life of pastoral service
Liu was born Nov. 2, 1970, in Wufuying village near Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province.
He began his priestly formation at the Fenyang seminary, where he studied from 1988 to 1992. He later attended the National Seminary in Beijing from 1992 to 1996, earning a bachelor’s degree in theology.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Datong on Nov. 24, 1996.
Following his ordination, Liu served as pastor of Zhangguantun from December 1996 to 1999, Xubao from 2000 to 2003, and Xihehe from 2003 to 2005.
He had served as diocesan administrator of Datong since March 15, 2005.
Appointments under Leo XIV
The process leading to Liu’s appointment and episcopal ordination took place entirely during Leo’s pontificate, providing another sign that the pope intends to continue dialogue between Rome and Beijing.
Several episcopal appointments and recognitions have taken place in China since Leo’s election.
On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the Chinese government’s civil recognition and installation of Bishop Giuseppe Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province.
Lin, however, was not ordained a bishop during Leo’s pontificate, having received episcopal ordination in 2017. Pope Leo XIV appointed him auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou on June 5, 2025, before Chinese authorities granted him civil recognition.
On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which had been established by Pope Pius XII in 1946, and erected the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.
Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Giuseppe Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, was ordained a bishop.
In 2026, Father Francesco Saverio Duan Yongkun was ordained coadjutor bishop of Bameng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after Leo appointed him on June 15 under the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
The pope also appointed Father Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng on June 15. Chang was subsequently ordained bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia.
Tensions during the sede vacante
Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops during the sede vacante following Pope Francis’ death, including one for a diocese already headed by a bishop recognized by the Holy See.
Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on Oct. 15, 2025, after Pope Leo XIV formally appointed him to the post on Aug. 11.
Chinese authorities had previously announced Wu’s election by an assembly of priests and laypeople on April 28, during the sede vacante.
The Holy See’s later announcement revealed that Leo had approved the nomination Aug. 11. Although the appointment was not immediately made public, the Vatican announcement indicated that the case was ultimately brought within the framework of the Holy See-China agreement.
Francis Li Jianlin was likewise ordained bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang in Henan province on Dec. 5, 2025, after Leo formally appointed him Aug. 11.
Li was the second bishop whose candidacy had been advanced by Chinese authorities during the sede vacante.
17 bishops ordained under Vatican-China agreement
With Liu’s ordination, 17 Catholic bishops have now been ordained in China under the Provisional Agreement first signed between the Holy See and China during Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The bilateral agreement, first signed in 2018, regulates the process for selecting and recognizing Catholic bishops in China.
The Holy See and China have not maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1951, following the communist takeover under Mao Zedong. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and an underground Catholic community that remained loyal to Rome.
The full text of the agreement has never been made public.
It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two sides extended it for four years, through 2028.
According to publicly known elements of the agreement, the pope retains the final authority over episcopal appointments in China, including the ability to reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, meanwhile, has agreed not to make episcopal appointments without prior consultation with the Chinese government.
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.
Cardinal invites young people to ‘farm aura’ with Christ
In recent weeks, a new trend has gained significant momentum among young people in various areas across the globe: “aura farming.”
In the world of video games, “farming” means collecting points toward a goal. Under the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s “Slang and Trending” category, aura farming means “the act of doing something to look cool, impressive, stylish, etc.” To “farm aura,” the dictionary further explains, means to “do something in order to enhance one’s coolness.”
The expression spread rapidly on social media platforms like TikTok, sparking curiosity and a following, primarily among Gen Z youth. However, the phenomenon’s viral nature quickly moved from screens to the streets.
Through specific gestures that have become hallmarks of the trend, young people gather to “farm aura” and even hold competitions featuring distinctive poses, facial expressions, or ways of walking, with the surrounding crowd deciding who performed best.
Reflecting on this trend, Cardinal Fernando Chomali, archbishop of Santiago, Chile, has observed that "‘Aura farming’ is a desperate cry from young people to be seen, heard, valued, loved, and acknowledged.”
“It’s a different version of the ‘therian’ trend [a person who psychologically identifies with an animal], reflecting the same worrying phenomenon: Many young people feel lonely! And, regrettably, little is said about that," Chomali commented on X.
In another post, the cardinal advised young people: “The best way to aura farm is to approach life with hope and joy. I invite you to study assiduously and to prepare your body and soul well to serve others. What better way to aura farm than by thinking big and building a more just country! Aura for and by Chile!” he encouraged.
Towards that end, on Aug. 27, the cardinal highlighted a relevant social service in Santiago: “The Franciscans of Recoleta, day after day, provide lunch for 150 people. The soup kitchen is very orderly and has a wholesome atmosphere.” The stories the guests “tell of so many people without a home, without family, with nothing, except a lunch served with love by the friars and their collaborators. I love the Church and am happy to have given my life to it! Purely aura farming with Christ,” Chomali indicated.
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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.
Cenotaphs: Memorials and signs of hope after a violent death
Small memorials adorned with crosses, candles, flowers, images of the Virgin Mary, and plaques with a deceased person’s name are part of the urban landscape in some Latin American cities. These memorials are known as cenotaphs, erected to keep alive the memory of those who perished, usually in a violent way.
The term “cenotaph” comes from a Greek expression meaning “empty tomb” and traditionally refers to a monument built to honor a person whose remains are buried elsewhere.
It is common to find these small structures on streets, sidewalks, medians, and highways in countries such as Peru, Colombia, or Mexico, usually placed to mark the location where a person lost his or her life.
In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Father Roberto Delgado Suárez, a priest of the Diocese of Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico specializing in grief ministry and palliative care, explained that through Christ’s sacrifice, the cross was transformed from “a sign of condemnation into a sign of salvation.”
He noted that such memorials can help people reinterpret the site where their loved one died, turning a space associated with sorrow into “a sacred place.” He pointed out that, especially for families, the cenotaph serves as a way to express “This is where I last saw my son; this is where my son was — here in this world.”
On the other hand, Delgado noted that for some people, a cenotaph can represent a “call for justice,” as is the case with “mothers or families searching for their children.” In this way, the memorials can take on a dual meaning: an expression of faith, but also “a sign [calling for] justice.”
Although the cenotaphs are neither cemetery monuments nor crypts, the priest urged people to show them due respect, as they are “signs that point us toward God.”
The memorials are built in a variety of ways. Some consist solely of a cross and a plaque bearing the deceased personʼs name; others include photographs, flowers, candles, or religious images. In some cases, families erect larger structures resembling a cemetery monument along the roadside.
Guillermina Hernández Martínez, a psychologist and specialist in thanatology (the study of death, dying, loss, and grief), said the significance of these memorials varies.
In an interview with ACI Prensa, she noted that “sometimes, out on the streets, the crosses are now forgotten,” while others remain tended for years.
Hernández warned that in some cases, too much of a bond to the location of the memorial could hinder emotional healing, as “people often continue to idealize [the deceased] and do not allow themselves to process their grief.” She emphasized the importance of psychological and thanatological support, particularly in the wake of a violent death.
Grief, she explained, is a process requiring time and support, yet one must always remember that “it is part of life,” and for Catholics it is “another step toward being with God.”
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.
Spanish regional government spotlights sainthood cause of Queen Isabella
The regional government of Castile and León in Spain highlighted the beatification cause of Queen Isabella during a meeting with the archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Luis Argüello.
During a meeting between Argüello and the minister of culture, tourism, and sport, Alberto Díaz Pico, the regional government expressed its “interest in promoting the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip II (in 2027), as well as highlighting the beatification cause of Isabella, the Catholic Monarch, and its historical and cultural significance,” according to an Aug. 27 statement issued by the government.
Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand, were given the title “the Catholic Monarchs” by Pope Alexander VI through the papal bull Si Convenit for their defense of the Catholic faith.
“Furthermore, the commitment to continue collaborating with the Church on the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the ecclesiastical heritage of Castile and León has been reaffirmed, with a view to exploring ways to expand and strengthen existing support measures,” the statement added.
The statement also highlighted “the good rapport and the determination to maintain close collaboration on matters of mutual interest regarding the culture, heritage, and history of Castile and León.”
Isabella, the Catholic Monarch
Isabella I of Castile was born in Madrigal de las Altas Torres on April 22, 1451, Holy Thursday that year. After being recognized as Princess of Asturias in 1468, she married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 and had six children, two of whom predeceased her. Upon the death of Enrique IV, she was proclaimed queen in 1474, according to the Archdiocese of Valladolid.
During her reign, she championed the reconquest of Granada from the Muslims and the voyage of Christopher Columbus, which led to the discovery of the Americas in October 1492. She also promoted the evangelization and protection of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, going so far as to ban their enslavement. She died on Nov. 26, 1504, from uterine cancer.
The cause for her beatification was initiated in Valladolid in 1958; the diocesan phase concluded in 1990, after which the process moved to Rome.
Historians have already favorably reviewed the documentation, but the theological assessment regarding the heroic nature of her virtues is still pending. Once that takes place, and following the popeʼs approval, she may be recognized as venerable, awaiting a miracle for her beatification.
Enraizados (the “Rooted in Christ and in Society Association”) has an annual Mass celebrated in memory of Isabella. In the manifesto the group published in 2026, it included a prayer by the queen: “I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and not knowing how to fight. I am afraid, Lord, of being afraid and being capable of denying you. I ask you, Lord, that in your greatness, you do not forget me. And that, with your love, you grant the strength to die for you.”
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 appeals for release of Haiti hostages, prays for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the immediate release of hostages taken in a deadly massacre in Haiti, appealed to authorities to protect the population from violence and prayed for victims of severe flooding in Nepal and Tibet.
Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo on Aug. 30, the pope said he had received “tragic reports” from Haiti about a massacre in Kenscoff.
“Tragic reports are emerging from Haiti of the horrific massacre carried out in Kenscoff, in which numerous people have lost their lives and others taken hostage,” Pope Leo said. “I express my spiritual closeness to the victims and their families, and call for the immediate release of all hostages.”
“I make a heartfelt appeal to all those in positions of authority to take concrete steps in order to ensure the safety of the population and put an end to all forms of violence,” he added.
The pope also renewed his prayers for those affected by flooding in Nepal and Tibet.
“Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers,” he said. “May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.”
Pope Leo then broadened his appeal, urging Christians to continue praying for peace and recalling the words of St. Augustine, whose feast the Church celebrated Aug. 28.
“Let us continue to pray for peace,” he said. “Saint Augustine, whose feast we celebrated a few days ago, said that peace ‘is like the miraculous bread multiplied in the hands of the disciples as they broke it and distributed it.’”
“May there be an increase in the world of those who courageously break and share the bread of peace, overcoming divisions, promoting justice and practicing forgiveness for the good of all,” the pope said.
Leo also noted that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be celebrated Tuesday, marking the beginning of the ecumenical Season of Creation, whose 2026 theme is “Living Water.”
“I invite everyone to join in prayer and action, that we may become channels of the living water of God’s peace, refreshing our wounded world,” he said.
Understanding and accepting God’s ways
Before the Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel account in which Jesus tells his disciples of his coming Passion, prompting Peter to reject what he hears.
The pope noted that Peter had only shortly before recognized Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” but was shocked when Christ explained that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and rise on the third day.
Peter’s reaction, Leo said, was “an outburst of zeal, certainly motivated by sincere love, and yet it gives us something to consider.”
“For us, too, in fact, it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own,” the pope said. “Then the temptation arises — against all the reasoning of faith — to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong, or worse still, that he is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.”
Peter, despite his impulsiveness, offers Christians two lessons in such moments, Leo said.
“The first is, even in such moments, never to cease our dialogue with the Lord,” he said. “Instead, we are confidently to tell him our difficulty in understanding what he is asking of us.”
“The second is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what he is revealing to us through his actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.”
“The greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this,” the pope said.
Jesus responded to Peter with the words, “Get behind me, Satan!” before teaching the disciples that following him means denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following him.
Peter would eventually accept that challenge, Leo noted, remaining faithful to Christ “for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.”
The pope concluded his reflection by asking the Lord to give Christians Peter’s sincerity in prayer as well as his willingness to accept God’s will.
“Let us therefore ask the Lord that we, too, in our life of faith and in our prayer, may have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused,” he said. “At the same time, may we cultivate Peter’s own docility in accepting what Jesus asks of us beyond our expectations.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Rest for a priest not a luxury but a necessity for mental health, Nigerian Vatican official says
NAIROBI, Kenya — For a priest, taking time to rest is not a “luxury,” the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization said, urging priests to embrace healthy periods away from work to sustain their physical and mental health.
In his address during the launch of a six-week formation program that seeks to explore priestly life in Nigeria, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu reflected on cases of mental health struggles among the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), noting that priests should embrace rest just as Jesus himself did during his ministry.
“Rest, then, is not a luxury in priestly life; it is necessary for physical and mental health,” the archbishop said, noting that the recent news of the resignation of German Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann after a period of serious psychological strain is “a timely reminder that priests and bishops are not immune to exhaustion, depression, or burnout.”
“We need proper rest, healthy boundaries, supportive relationships, and, when necessary, professional help. Caring for oneself is not stepping away from ministry; it helps us remain well enough to serve,” the Nigerian-born Vatican official emphasized during the launch, which was held virtually on Aug. 26.
Organizers of the program seek to explore priestly life, starting with Nigeria, amid mounting mental health concerns among Catholic priests.
According to organizers, participants in the program will look at “the quality of life, service, joy, aspirations, fears, and anxieties” that they say are “gradually pervading the cycle of a priestʼs life and ministry.”
Guided by the theme “Fully Alive in Christ: Caring for the Self — The Priest as a Living Gift,” the program also seeks to explore priestly self-care, spiritual renewal, emotional well-being, burnout, healthy relationships, and living out the Church’s mission with confidence and joy.
Participants in the formation will have access to training materials and will also receive a certificate of participation.
In his presentation, Nwachukwu recalled the situation in the Diocese of Aba, where he said the age at which many priests have died points to the need for greater attention to the well-being of clergy.
“Each time I visit the priests’ cemetery of the Diocese of Aba, close to the cathedral, I am struck and left sad by the age bracket of the colleagues whose remains are already lying there,” said the Vatican official, who also serves as the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva following his December 2021 appointment.
Many of the priests, he added, died before reaching the age of 50. “Only very few crossed the bars of 60 and 70 years,” he said.
Beyond the premature deaths of priests, Nwachukwu noted the growing number of young priests experiencing mental health challenges, raising the question of what can be done to address the situation.
He said the concern was not about questioning God’s will but about examining how seriously the Church takes Jesus’ teachings and example regarding the self-care of those entrusted with ministry.
Nwachukwu reflected on Mark 6:31-32 as a guiding text for understanding the importance of rest in priestly ministry. In the passage, Jesus tells his disciples: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”
The Nigerian Church leader explained that Jesus invited his disciples to take a pause from their ministry and join him in a period of rest. He noted that Jesus himself demonstrated the importance of taking a break — particularly after receiving news of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.
The archbishop said the Gospel accounts show that Jesus’ decision to withdraw was connected both to grief and to the demands of ministry.
He said St. Matthew presents the withdrawal after Jesus receives news of John the Baptist’s death, while Mark and Luke place the invitation to rest after the disciples returned from a successful missionary assignment.
The disciples had been so occupied with their mission that “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat,” he noted, adding that their missionary work had included casting out demons as well as anointing the sick with oil and healing them.
Nwachukwu said the experience offers an important lesson for priests who devote themselves intensely to ministry.
“God-given energy needs God-given direction,” he said, explaining that strength, passion, and drive must be directed toward one’s vocation and mission. Otherwise, he warned, such energy can easily be spent elsewhere.
He said this spiritual energy, when properly directed, can lead a person to Christ and enable him or her to bring others to Christ.
He recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at his episcopal ordination on Jan. 6, 2013, in which the late pontiff described the spiritual restlessness of the Magi as the force that led them from the East in search of the newborn Jesus.
According to Nwachukwu, such restlessness finds its fulfillment in Christ.
The archbishop also reflected on Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
He cautioned that rest detached from Christ can be harmful to priests, emphasizing that the rest Jesus offers is not simply an escape from work but a source of renewal.
He explained that the Greek expression used in the passage, “kagō anapausō humas,” means “and I will give you rest.” The verb “anapauō,” he noted, conveys the idea of an elevating or renewing rest.
For priests, Nwachukwu said, this kind of rest should include periods of detachment from routine activities to allow for physical renewal and to strengthen relationships with God, fellow priests, family members, and the faithful.
He added that physical refreshment should include ordinary needs such as taking adequate time to eat and drink, while mental and spiritual renewal should involve learning how to direct one’s energies toward Christ through prayer and genuine charity.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Hope for broken marriages: One couple’s story
On April 7, 2009, Mariela Villanueva landed in Venezuela convinced that she was going to end her marriage. Five years had passed since her husband, Harold Figueras, had left his family in Peru and rebuilt his life in another country. She carried with her the pain of a long separation and the resolve to sign the divorce papers. He had with him a written list of all the grievances he intended to unleash the moment he saw her.
Nothing happened the way either of them had imagined.
They arranged to meet on a Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, at the very spot where they had courted years before. When Mariela appeared, Harold frantically searched for the sheet of paper containing his complaints. It had vanished.
“I was expecting a war. She opened her arms to embrace me, and I realized that I was the only one who wanted to fight,” Harold recalled in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
Mariela said she made that gesture because she had already begun a process of conversion and was holding onto one last hope.
That embrace did not immediately restore the marriage, however. It would still be nearly a month before he ended the other relationship he was in and decided to return to his family. But on that day, they both attest, Jesus won the first great battle.
A marriage marked by woundedness
Harold and Mariela met in 1998 at the Venezuelan College of Engineers. He worked in systems; she was a young lawyer running a legal consultation firm with dozens of professionals under her supervision.
While Mariela had grown up in a Catholic family and frequently prayed the rosary, Harold was completely indifferent to the faith.
“I used to make fun of priests. For me, getting married in the Church was simply a matter of fulfilling a social formality,” he admitted.
They were married in a civil ceremony and on Sept. 2, 2000, received the sacrament at marriage at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Barranco, Peru. However, they acknowledged that they came to the altar without truly understanding the meaning of the vocation of marriage.
“We began our life together without God at the center. That was the first major mistake,” Harold explained.
Over the years, deep-seated wounds began to surface: abandonment, loneliness, pride, an inability to communicate, and unrealistic expectations about love. Venezuela’s economic crisis further aggravated the situation. Harold traveled constantly between the two countries until, one day, he simply stopped coming back.
Mariela was left alone in Lima with her young daughter.
‘Mom, teach me to pray’
Paradoxically, the restoration did not begin when Harold changed. It began when Mariela got down on her knees.
Estranged from the Church and filled with resentment, the young mother had abandoned the practice of her faith after being hurt by a bad experience at a parish. Everything changed thanks to an unexpected request from her 7-year-old daughter: “Mom, grandma says you know how to pray. Teach me the rosary.”
Mariela agreed, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Shortly after that, her daughter insisted on making her first Communion and said something that pierced her mother’s heart: “You know what it’s like to have Jesus in your heart… so why don’t you [go to Communion]?”
Those words led Mariela back to the confessional.
From then on, she began a routine that would change her life: daily Mass before work, Eucharistic adoration at midday, and the rosary every night with her daughter.
“I was looking for God to change my husband. The Lord ended up changing me,” she related.
‘Look at me’
During Eucharistic adoration, an experience occurred that would, years later, give its name to the retreat the couple now leads as part of the Peruvian Catholic movement “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family.”
Mariela was praying, seeing herself as the victim in her story: “Lord, look at me. Look at how good I am. Look at what he did to me.”
Then, she raised her eyes toward the monstrance.
“I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw Jesus, wounded and bloodied. And he said to me only: ‘Look at me.’”
In that moment, she experienced a personal encounter with Jesus. She began to recall her own sins from childhood and realized that, for years, she had been unable to recognize her own wounds.
“I realized that God wasn’t going to ask me about Harold’s sins. He was going to ask me how much I loved my husband within the sacrament.”
Her prayer changed completely, and she no longer asked for Harold to return. She only prayed: “Lord, bring him back to you.”
The hell of the occult
While Mariela was deepening her prayer life, Harold was heading down a completely opposite path.
Seeking better financial prospects, he began consulting tarot cards. Next came syncretist Santería practices, and finally Palería, a witchcraft practice involving human remains and animal sacrifices.
“I entered a dark room containing skeletal remains. I felt an indescribable fear, yet I kept looking for answers where they weren’t to be found,” Harold recalled.
Amid that emptiness, he began to notice something strange. Mariela kept calling him, but no longer to get him back.
One afternoon, in a mocking tone, he asked her: “What’s wrong? Don’t you need me anymore?”
Her answer baffled him.
“No. Whatʼs going on is that I have someone here who loves me.”
Harold thought she had another romantic partner, but today he knows his wife was speaking of Christ himself.
Welcomed back with love
After that encounter with his wife in Venezuela, Harold eventually returned to Peru.
He admitted he was terrified of facing Mariela’s family and above all, their daughter. He imagined reproaches, humiliation, and rejection. Yet, he found exactly the opposite.
“They all hugged me as if I had just stepped out to buy bread,” he recounted.
A few days later, he accompanied Mariela to the Oblate Fathers’ church in the Barranco neighborhood of Lima. He had no thought of even going inside. He was standing near the doorway when, as he tells it, he felt an inner impulse that led him straight to the confessional.
“I told the priest: ‘Father, I’ve been separated from my wife for five years, and I don’t know why I’ve come back.’”
The priest invited him to attend a spiritual retreat. It was there that Harold experienced his own conversion.
Before the Blessed Sacrament, after resisting for hours, Harold looked up: “I no longer saw the monstrance. I saw two honey-colored eyes that pierced my heart. I began to weep as I never had in my life.”
From that moment on, he abandoned the occult and began a journey of faith that continues to this day.
An ongoing miracle
More than 15 years have passed since that reconciliation.
Harold and Mariela maintain that the true miracle was not simply living together again but discovering that marriage is a daily path to holiness.
“Restoring the marriage takes your whole life. It doesn’t stop when the husband returns. It begins there,” Mariela said.
That experience gave rise to the “Jesus and Mary Are Restoring My Family” movement, an initiative that supports spouses who are separated or on the verge of divorce. The path they propose begins with oneʼs own conversion rather than an attempt to change oneʼs spouse.
Those who come to the mission begin with what’s called “Mary’s Workshop,” a preparation for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that focuses on the sacrament of marriage. There, the aim is for each person to acknowledge his or her own wounds and receive the tools to discern how to handle their issues as a family.
However, Harold and Mariela noted that not all journeys end the same way. Some married couples manage to reunite, while others go their separate ways, including through the process of a declaration of nullity. What remains, they maintain, is the call to conversion and to seek God’s will.
“The Lord wants us to be holy,” Mariela explained. She said that even when a person goes through a process different from what she or he hoped for, suffering can become an opportunity to draw closer to Christ and offer that pain for the holiness of the Church.
Today, when they look back, the couple no longer see themselves as the same people who had separated. Mariela describes Harold as a man more committed to knowing Godʼs love and capable of giving of himself to his family.
For his part, he acknowledged that the woman he reunited with after five years was no longer the same one he had left behind.
For this reason, their testimony does not aim to offer a formula for restoring a lost marriage. It is, above all, the story of two people who discovered that, before asking God to change the other person, they had to allow themselves to be transformed by him.
“Many people come saying, ‘I want my husband to come back.’ We tell them: First, let Jesus return to the center of your heart,” Harold explained.
Their message to couples in crisis stems from that experience: Don’t hide your wounds, don’t let shame defeat you, and don’t confuse restoration with a simple return to the life you had before.
For as they discovered that Wednesday afternoon in 2009, some marital battles are not won by defeating the other person but by allowing oneself to be conquered by God’s merciful love.
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.
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV takes part in historic Marian procession on Lake Albano at papal summer house
Pope Leo XIV took part in an historic boat procession on Aug. 29, becoming what the Vatican said was the first pope to travel across the waters of Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo during a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake.
The town of Castel Gandolfo has been home to the papal summer residence since the early 17th century. The papal palace there overlooks Lake Albano, a roughly 2-square-mile lake in a volcanic crater.
The pope traveled by boat across the lake after Mass at the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago. The papal procession was accompanied by a statue of Our Lady of the Lake.
Department of Justice says government can’t restrict funding based on religious status
The U.S. Department of Justice this week said that the government’s practice of restricting federal funding from religious activities is “presumptively unconstitutional,” paving the way for greater public funding of religious groups.
Such restrictions on federal funding are made “without any compelling government interest,” the Justice Department said in an Aug. 25 memorandum opinion issued to the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services.
In its 2004 decision Locke v. Davey, the U.S. Supreme Court held that public authorities are free to withhold funding from programs and activities that are explicitly religious in nature.
In its memorandum, however, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said restricting federal funding based on either the religious status of an organization or the use of funds for religious purposes is “not required” under the U.S. Constitution.
Such restrictions “discriminate based on anticipated religious use without any compelling governmental interest,” the memorandum said, and as a result they “violate the Free Exercise Clause.”
“Use-based religious restrictions on generally available federal funding programs are presumptively unconstitutional,” the document said.
The memorandum specifically addressed programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which controls billions of dollars in federal funding. It was not immediately clear if the directive applied to other federal departments. A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The religious freedom legal group First Liberty, meanwhile, hailed the memorandum as “a major victory for religious liberty.”
Faith-based organizations and schools “can now apply for and utilize federal grants without scrubbing the religious aspects of their programs,” the group said.
First Liberty argued that opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel “serve as binding legal guidance for the executive branch,” meaning the memo “effectively instructs all federal agencies to rewrite their grant-making rules to align with this new standard.”
The group noted that one of its network attorneys is Joshua Davey, part of the namesake of the 2004 Supreme Court case that established the precedent of restricting federal funds for religious activities and groups.
That decision “has never been formally overturned,” First Liberty said, but “that could change in the very near future.”