Netanyahu claims unnamed Lebanese Christian villages sought annexation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said unidentified Lebanese Christian villages asked Israel to annex them.
“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on Fox News’ show “The Sunday Briefing” on July 5.
“It’s ridiculous that [Netanyahu] would say such a thing,” said Alberto Fernández, a former U.S. ambassador and contributor to EWTN News on Middle East topics. “It’s something that only makes sense within the context of him trying to look good to his own Israeli audience. Within the context of Lebanon, it’s ridiculous.”
Fernández noted Netanyahu’s claims have been repeatedly denied in the Arab and Lebanese press. Lebanese officials have rejected Netanyahu’s claims, including senior members of the Kataeb party, and Hanna al-Amil, the mayor of Rmeich, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, according to several Arab news outlets.
“We canʼt forget that itʼs Hezbollah that keeps plunging Lebanon into war with Israel,” he said. “And one thing that Christian villagers do not want is, they may not want to be part of Israel.”
They donʼt want to be at war with Israel either, Fernández said.
“They want peace. They want to be left alone. They want to be able to live their lives and their villages and farm their land and be left alone,” he said.
Various U.S. bishops ‘invite home’ SSPX attendees after excommunications of leadership
A growing number of Catholic bishops are instructing the faithful to avoid illicit sacraments celebrated by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after the traditionalist group’s bishops incurred the penalty of excommunication last week.
The Vatican declared July 2 that six prelates involved in the SSPX’s unauthorized July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication. Despite repeated warnings, SSPX bishops consecrated four new bishops without a pontifical mandate — an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope that carries automatic excommunication for the six bishops involved.
The SSPX is a fraternity of priests known for its celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Various Catholic bishops with SSPX locations in their areas are explicitly forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX services while also urging frequent attendees or SSPX priests to seek spiritual guidance and return to the Catholic Church.
Invited ‘home’
Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis urged SSPX families in his community to stay with the Catholic Church.
“In the 10 years that I have led this local Church, I have met many sincere people who worship regularly or occasionally at the chapels of the SSPX within the territory of our archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I have been impressed by the strength of their families and their commitment to traditional Catholic values.”
“It is my hope they will not follow the above-mentioned bishops in separating themselves from the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, and from the Church that he humbly leads,” Hebda continued. “Throughout the centuries, our Catholic Church has consistently echoed the teaching of St. Ambrose: Ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia (Where there is Peter, there is the Church).”
“At this difficult moment, we are blessed that the same traditional Eucharistic liturgy beloved by those who have worshipped with the SSPX in the past continues to be celebrated in six locations throughout the archdiocese,” Hebda said. “I am confident that those who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass could find a home here."
Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg, New York, noted that in light of the “formal schism,” the disobedience “gravely harms the unity of the Church for which Christ so fervently prayed the night before he died.”
LaValley said in a statement that Catholics are “forbidden” to participate in SSPX sacraments, the only exception being “when there is danger of death.” He noted that the schism “is not simply about the celebration of the Mass.”
“The SSPX repudiates and denounces the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, in particular, ecumenism, religious liberty, collegiality of the bishops with the pope, and the Church’s understanding of and relationship with Judaism,” LaValley noted.
LaValley instructed the faithful to avoid participation with SSPX and invited SSPX priests to remain with the Church.
In a similar vein, Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, invited anyone who previously worshipped with SSPX to come “home.”
“The Holy See has made clear that the clergy of the society are now to be regarded as schismatic,” Caggiano said in a statement. “This means that, from this day forward, the sacraments they celebrate are illicit and, most significantly for the faithful, the confessions they hear and the marriages at which they preside are considered invalid by the Church.”
“I know these words are difficult to hear, especially for those among us who have worshipped, whether regularly or on occasion, at liturgies celebrated by priests of the society,” Caggiano said. “Over the years I have come to know some of these families. I have been moved by their love for the beauty of the sacred liturgy, their devotion to our Catholic tradition, and the seriousness with which they seek to raise their children in the faith.”
“My heart goes out to them at this painful moment, and I want them to know that they remain very much a part of our diocesan family,” Caggiano said.
“I also wish to offer a word of reassurance. This excommunication does not fall upon those who have simply attended these liturgies out of a sincere desire to worship and who have never intended to reject the authority of the Holy Father or the teaching of the Church,” Caggiano said. “What the Church now asks is straightforward: Knowing the situation as it now stands, the faithful of the Catholic Church can no longer take part in the liturgies of the society, for to do so knowingly would be to share in a separation from the successor of Peter.”
Caggiano noted that the “vetus ordo,” also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, is still celebrated in his diocese at several parishes throughout the diocese.
He emphasized that the diocese also welcomes any SSPX priest who wants to return to full communion “with open arms and great tenderness.”
Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, said he will “be preparing guidance to assist our clergy, lay faithful, and especially any of the lay faithful who have worshipped locally with the SSPX at St. Vincent de Paul Kansas City.”
“While it is imperative to not abandon future efforts toward full communion and to fervently pray for such, those who wish to maintain communion with the Catholic Church, including valid reception of the sacraments of matrimony and penance (confession), will no longer find that possible within the SSPX,” Johnston said in the statement.
“In this moment, I wish to reassure the members of the SSPX within this diocese of my pastoral concern as a shepherd with a desire to assist you in this time of crisis,” Johnston said.
Schism ‘wounds’ the body of Christ
Bishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse, New York, emphasized that the announcement “forbids Roman Catholics of good standing to participate in and to receive the sacraments from bishops and priests associated with the Society of St. Pius X.”
“[F]ormal adherence to schism is a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the Churchʼs law,” Lucia wrote July 2.
“I grieve over the wound that has been inflicted on Christʼs body, the Church, and its effect on the spiritual good of the faithful,” Lucia said. “Although todayʼs action relates to a specific event, I would caution that such wounds occur in the Church, when peopleʼs pain and concerns are ignored and the universal call to holiness is subjugated to personal agenda.”
“I regret that the communion and trust that has been built in my seven years as bishop here in Syracuse is now so imperiled, but there cannot be accord when discord has been sown,” Lucia said.
Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, instructed Catholics “to refrain from attending Mass at any SSPX chapels.”
“The Catholic faithful should attend Mass at a Catholic church with a Catholic priest where they can receive licit and valid sacraments,” Hying said.
“For many years, the Church has been in dialogue with the leadership of SSPX in the hope that the group would return to full communion with the Catholic Church,” Hying said. “Their continued rejection of papal authority and decision to undertake blatantly schismatic acts have harmed these discussions and wounded the path to unity.”
Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, called the bishopʼs consecrations "a source of profound sorrow for the whole Church because it wounds the visible unity that Christ desires for his body.” He noted that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI took several steps toward communion and acceptance of the society.
“Fidelity to sacred tradition is never opposed to fidelity to the successor of Peter,” McKnight said in his letter. “Rather, both are gifts entrusted by Christ to his Church and serve together to safeguard the deposit of faith and promote the salvation of souls.”
“The Church’s living tradition is preserved by remaining close to the successor of Peter, by adhering to the apostolic faith handed down through the centuries and safeguarded within the communion of the Church,” McKnight said.
China releases detained Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri
China has freed underground Christian pastor Ezra Jin Mingri about two months after President Donald Trump publicly called for his release.
Jin, who was arrested by Chinese authorities on Oct. 10, 2025, was reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 3 ahead of America 250 celebrations.
“I am profoundly grateful that Pastor Ezra Jin has been released and reunited with his family,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a Catholic, said in a July 5 statement. “I especially thank President Trump for personally raising Pastor Jin’s case with CCP [Chinese Communist Party] General Secretary Xi Jinping and for ensuring that U.S. diplomats remained committed in pressing for his freedom.”
Trump said following his visit to China in May that President Xi Jinping was “giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” referring to Jin. Congress had urged Trump to use the U.S.-China summit to advocate for Jin’s release alongside Jimmy Lai, the jailed Catholic media tycoon and democracy advocate. Trump noted China’s president was less likely to release Lai.
A statement issued to reporters by the pastor’s family said: “We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle. We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership. We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations.”
Jin was among nearly 30 people arrested by Chinese Communist Party authorities during a sweeping crackdown across nine cities on the underground Zion Church, of which he is the founder.
Frances Hui, policy and advocacy manager at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, wrote on social media: “Incredible to hear that [Jin] is free, has just arrived in L.A., and is finally reunited with his family.” Hui was among advocates who rallied on behalf of those imprisoned in China ahead of Trump’s visit.
Hui described standing beside Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, as “a privilege,” noting that she and her husband, Bill Drexel, had advocated for Jin’s release while preparing for the birth of their third child.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a statement: “Despite months of imprisonment, Pastor Jin stayed true to his faith. Yet again, President Trump has demonstrated his ability to stand up for persecuted Christians worldwide.”
Former vice president Mike Pence said in a statement: “President Trump should be commended for securing Ezra Jin’s release by raising the case with Xi Jinping in Beijing this year. Truly treasure in heaven to see this godly man of faith set free.”
U.S. solicitor general urges Supreme Court to stop Colorado’s exclusion of Catholic preschools
A broad coalition including the U.S. solicitor general has lined up behind Colorado Catholic families and two Catholic preschools as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Colorado violated the First Amendment by excluding Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program because they operate according to Catholic teaching.
The case, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, challenges Colorado’s requirement that schools participating in its universal preschool program comply with state policies that the Catholic schools say would force them to violate religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and employment to receive public funding.
The U.S. solicitor general joined more than 20 states and 43 Republican members of Congress urging the high court to rule against Colorado’s “discriminatory exclusion” of the faith-based schools. The solicitor general argued that Colorado’s policy discriminates against religious exercise, imposes unconstitutional conditions on participation in a public benefit, and conflicts with recent precedents.
Colorado forces petitioners to choose, the solicitor general wrote. “They can either adhere to their faith, which precludes enrolling families who refuse to adhere to Catholic teachings, and lose the subsidy, or obtain the subsidy but abandon their religious beliefs,” the brief said.
Supreme Court to hear case
Represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood, part of the Archdiocese of Denver, along with several Catholic families, argue that the state cannot deny otherwise available public benefits simply because the schools remain faithful to their religious mission.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case this fall after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Colorado’s policy in September 2025 to exclude Catholic preschools because of their religious beliefs.
Broad coalition of support
Support for the Catholic families has continued to grow ahead of oral arguments. A total of 29 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed urging the justices to rule in favor of the schools, including briefs by more than 20 states, religious liberty scholars, education advocates, and a broad coalition of faith groups.
Among those filing briefs is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). U.S. bishops stated that “if that decision stands, it will provide a roadmap for governments to circumvent this court’s decisions, directly threatening the free exercise rights of religious adherents and organizations.”
Dan and Lisa Sheley, Catholic parents of seven whose children attend St. Mary’s, said they were encouraged by the widespread support.
“We’re grateful that so many people from across the country are rallying behind our case,” they said in a statement provided by Becket. “Colorado promised preschool for all but then showed Catholic families the door. That’s unfair to parents, unfair to children, and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution’s promise of religious freedom.”
Previous religious liberty cases
Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement the coalition demonstrates the significance of the case.
“Colorado has united a diverse array of Americans around a simple point: It’s wrong to promise preschool support to every family in the state and then yank it away from Catholic families,” Rassbach said. “This broad coalition shows just how egregious and unlawful Colorado’s religious discrimination has become. We’re confident the court will remind Colorado — once again — that the First Amendment protects religious people too.”
The case follows a series of Supreme Court decisions strengthening protections for religious schools, including Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Carson v. Makin, all of which held that states generally may not exclude religious institutions from publicly available benefits because of their religious identity. A decision in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy could further define the constitutional protections afforded to religious schools participating in government education programs.
Under a scorching sun, 500 pilgrims mark St. Thomas feast in Pakistan
Despite a summer heat wave, about 500 Catholics from Pakistan’s Punjab province traveled to the ancient city of Taxila to mark the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle at a site long associated with the apostle’s mission in the Indian subcontinent.
The faithful from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Gujranwala arrived in eight buses on July 4 at the archaeological site of Sirkap, where Christian tradition holds that St. Thomas preached at the court of King Gondophares before continuing his mission to India.
“The Gospel reached the far corners of the world through the companions of Christ, and that same mission has been entrusted to us,” Father Yousaf Yaqoob, the parish priest who celebrated the Mass, told the pilgrims.
He encouraged the faithful to visit Christian pilgrimage sites across Pakistan.
“The relics and even the air at pilgrimage sites are a source of blessing. In this digital age, people speak of the Gospel but have largely forgotten the great sacrifices and miracles behind it,” he said. “A nation that forgets its history is forgotten by history.”
After the Mass, pilgrims toured the Taxila Museum and the sacred sites at Sirkap, through which, according to Christian tradition, St. Thomas passed in the first century while proclaiming the Gospel in the Indo-Parthian kingdom ruled by King Gondophares.
Why Taxila draws Christian pilgrims
The Acts of Thomas, an early Syriac Christian text, recounts that the king gave the apostle money to build a royal palace. Instead, Thomas distributed the money among the poor. Enraged, the king ordered his execution. However, after the king’s brother, Gad, miraculously returned to life and described a heavenly palace built through the apostle’s charity, Gondophares pardoned Thomas and, according to tradition, embraced Christianity along with many of his subjects.
The Punjab Archaeology Department also preserves a local tradition that St. Thomas built a 3-foot-high stone throne at Sirkap and preached there for four decades. Two brick baptismal basins near the throne are still used for infant and adult baptisms.
According to archaeology officials, more than 25,000 visitors had visited the site by July 4.
The parish charged each pilgrim 1,700 Pakistani rupees (about $6), covering transportation, refreshments, and visits to Sirkap and Shahdara Valley, a popular tourist destination in the Margalla Hills near Islamabad.
Braving the summer heat
Sagar Rahat, the parish choir leader, joined fellow pilgrims in collecting small twigs and stones from around the stone throne.
“We keep them as souvenirs and blessings. Our hearts are filled with pride, passion, and honor simply by standing at a place visited by one of Christ’s apostles,” the 34-year-old told EWTN News.
Rahat, who has made the pilgrimage annually for the past decade, said the lack of basic facilities continues to trouble visitors. With the mercury climbing to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), the water in pilgrims’ bottles quickly turned warm under the blazing sun.
“There is no shade, so we have to bring umbrellas. There are no water coolers, and the water in our bottles becomes warm in the direct sunlight,” he said.
In a July 2 message marking the feast, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi said St. Thomas’ witness continues to inspire Christians, especially young people and families, to remain courageous in bearing witness to Christ.
“The example of St. Thomas invites us to profess our faith courageously, remain committed to sincerity and sacrifice, continue proclaiming the good news, and persevere despite opposition and hardship,” the archbishop said.
Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its Buddhist and Gandharan ruins, also occupies a unique place in Christian tradition because of its association with St. Thomas and King Gondophares.
Although historians continue to debate the historical details of the apostle’s visit, the tradition remains an important part of South Asia’s Christian heritage.
In 1935, a farmer plowing a field near the ruins discovered a cross that was later presented to the Anglican bishop of Lahore. The relic, known as the Taxila Cross, is now preserved in the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection in Lahore, the Punjab capital.
This is Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of July
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of July is for respect for human life in all circumstances.
“Both you and I have received the most beautiful gift of life — your breath, your heartbeat, your smile, all that you are is God’s work of love,” Pope Leo said in a video shared on Instagram.
The Holy Father asked the faithful: “Will you help me protect this precious gift?”
“This month I invite you to pray for our commitment to respecting and protecting human life in all circumstances,” he said.
In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention:
“Lord of life,
You created us in love and called us to live in fullness.
Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face,
from the first instant of existence
to the final breath of their journey on earth.
Today we ask for the grace to recognize and protect
the unique and unrepeatable value of every human being.
May we learn to welcome life unconditionally,
to tenderly care for fragility,
to accompany each stage with respect,
and to bravely defend those who have no voice.
Forgive us, Lord,
when we fall into indifference or the culture of discard,
when we fail to see in others a being worthy of love.
Give us a new heart, always ready to choose life,
and generous hands that protect it through concrete actions.
Make your Church a living witness of the Gospel of life,
an open home where every life is celebrated,
where no one feels unwanted,
and where dignity is always honored and protected.
Lord Jesus,
may we love life as you love it:
with tenderness, fidelity, and self-giving.
May we proclaim, in words and actions,
that every human life is worth the total gift of ourselves.
Amen.”
“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.
In Canada, intensive summer seminar trains journalists to report Catholic news
In an era of remote work, particularly for writers and journalists, Laura Ieraci says the “newsroom experience” is markedly beneficial for those learning how to report.
At this year’s Canadian Catholic News’ “God in the City: Catholic Journalism Summer Seminar,” taking place Aug. 9–15 in Toronto, the students are given just that opportunity.
A newsroom lets students learn “how we really learn from each other and build off each other’s ideas and resourcefulness and creativity to help each other along and really get the best stories that we can,” Ieraci said.
A veteran Catholic journalist with more than two decades of experience, Ieraci serves as the founding coordinator of the intensive one-week seminar, which launched in 2025.
The program grew out of online classes starting in 2023. A group of students and instructors in that program met at a bar one night where one student remarked: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could have classes like this in person?”
“That’s where we decided we would try to do that,” Ieraci said.
The weeklong course is held in the largest city in Canada. “The reason we call it ‘God in the City’ is because the participants have to go out in the city and find stories on the Church, or a Church organization, or a Church apostolate, or some issue of importance to the Church, and bring those stories back and report on them,” Ieraci said.
Most of the students in the program are “not local to Toronto,” she said, and “some of them are a little nervous about being in a foreign city.” Facilitators in the program help students navigate both the city and the newswriting process.
“The instructors will accompany the students in finding sources,” she said. “If they run into any snags with their stories, we’ll help them adjust, pivot, course-correct, find other sources, and work alongside them.”
Some of the students in the course are just starting out in journalism, but others “aren’t necessarily novices,” Ieraci said.
“Some just want that extra formation, that extra knowledge,” she said. “Perhaps they’ve come into journalism from another discipline and they have to navigate it by themselves. Perhaps they’ve studied it but haven’t worked in journalism for a long time and just want to freshen up their skills.”
‘A dream I’ve had for a long time’
Among past participants in the program is Charlotte Taillon, an Edmonton, Alberta, resident who previously took a webinar with Canadian Catholic News.
“When I first saw the flyer for the summer intensive I was about 20 weeks pregnant with my sixth daughter and thought there was no way,” she told EWTN News.
“But about a month and half before the summer intensive, Laura reached out to me to see if I was interested,” she continued. “I kept trying to talk myself out of it, but the opportunity just wouldnʼt leave me alone. I was surprised how supportive my husband had been as well.”
Currently a communications professional, Taillon said the seminar was her “first experience in the world of journalism,” a vocation she said she’s always aspired to pursue.
She described the experience as “very informative” and one that gave her “the confidence to pursue a dream I’ve had for a long time.”
Upon arriving in Toronto, “they immediately put us to work finding a story, and it was intimidating at first but there was always someone ready to answer a question or encourage us,” she said.
“That support made all the difference. Even at 34 weeks pregnant I was able to get a story on the streets of Toronto” even in near-90-degree heat, she said.
She described the group of journalists as “very supportive and encouraging” and has remained in touch with them via a group chat. “We came from different backgrounds, but we all shared a passion for telling stories that matter,” she said.
Taillon said she will pursue journalism further after returning from maternity leave. Reflecting on how she happened to join the seminar, she said: “Looking back, I think God was gently reminding me that he has bigger plans for me.”
‘The basics’
Ieraci said part of the course involves teaching “a sense of the basics” to those considering journalism.
“We teach them the fundamental skills for journalism — making sure they have a basic skill set, how to write a news story, how to do interviews, along with the ethics of journalism,” she said.
The seminar does not include an explicit faith formation component, she said, but “we encourage people to be formed in their faith and practice it. We have daily Mass, daily prayer, reflection, a chapel on-site.”
Students have reported that they “get a lot out of it,” Ieraci said.
“One of them said, ‘Now I know I don’t want to be a journalist,’” she said with a laugh. “Another said it was instrumental in helping him get his current job.”
The program does not function as a “job-placement agency,” she noted, but “we’re happy to help our students navigate possible job opportunities.”
Above all, the program helps prospective journalists to consider the craft “from a Catholic point of view.”
“How will you interview someone as a Catholic journalist?” she said. “What kind of questions might you ask in that context of a faith-based reporter?”
“Because that’s what we’re doing,” she said. “We’re doing faith-based reporting, and our particular faith is Catholic.”
Application deadline for this year’s summer seminar is July 10. For more information visit here.
Vatican October meeting to focus on divorce, other family issues
VATICAN CITY — A Vatican meeting of bishops in October will focus on divorce and separation, among other family-related issues, according to the preparatory document published Monday.
The gathering of presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences will be a forum to discuss the application today of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ controversial 2016 apostolic exhortation on marriage and the family.
The Vatican announced July 6 that the Oct. 7–14 meeting will center on five themes, including accompanying and supporting families “in the difficulties of life.”
The gathering will include a discussion about “walking with families in complex situations,” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce,” so that they can feel listened to and involved in the Church, according to a press release from the Secretariat General of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.
It will also discuss cohabiting couples, openness to welcoming children, the decline in marriage among young people, and the transmission of the faith to new generations.
Pope Leo announced at the end of his second consistory of cardinals on June 27 that several families will also take part in the meeting with the Roman and Eastern Catholic bishops.
The presence of families “is essential,” he said. “At the same time, I hope that all those who come will prepare by listening closely to, and bringing with them, the experience of the families in their own Churches.” The pope also explained that the purpose of the event will be “to assess the progress made since Amoris Laetitia.”
In Amoris Laetitia, Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis sparked controversy when he wrote that even people in an “objective state of sin” could be eligible to receive the “help of the sacraments.” He later authorized an interpretation of that language that made it possible for some people in irregular unions to receive Communion after a process of discernment with a priest.
Previous popes had said divorced and civilly remarried Catholics could not receive Communion unless they lived as brother and sister.
According to a July 6 press release, the October gathering, while not a synodal assembly, will be carried out in a synodal style “because it shares the spirit of the Synod’s implementation process, marked by listening, prayer, and discernment.”
While organizers of the meeting did not specify, by a “synodal style” they likely meant a methodology used at the Vatican during the Synod on Synodality, and at the pope’s two consistories of cardinals this year, of breaking participants into small groups for highly moderated discussions at round tables.
Released the same day, the meeting’s “thematic framework” is intended to prepare and guide the discussions at the Vatican in October.
“The aim is to discern the direction in which the Holy Spirit is leading us today, so as to recognize, support, and foster what He is already accomplishing within families and to appreciate their contribution to the mission of the Church,” the framework document states.
The rapid changes of our era, the document continues, call “for attentive listening to the concrete lives of families and to the experience of those who accompany them, recognizing together both the beauty of love as it takes shape in daily life and the fragilities that often affect it, including precarious employment and housing, illness, the challenges of raising children, emotional loneliness, and the care of family members with disabilities, the elderly, or those who are not self-sufficient.”
“Failure, fragility, the gap between the ideal and reality, and the complexity of life situations also become places in which the work of God’s grace may be recognized and where persons can be accompanied with respect, patience, and hope,” the preparatory document says.
The full titles of the five themes of the meeting, as found in the text, are:
1. Families today: reality, beauty, and challenges — Discerning the signs of the times through the experience of families and the Church’s pastoral commitment today
2. Young people and the discovery of the vocation to marriage — Listening to young people and accompanying them in discovering the value of marriage
3. Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time — Listening to and accompanying couples in the early years of married life and at every stage of life
4. In the difficulties of life: accompanying and supporting — Walking with families in complex situations
5. Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission — Embracing conjugal and family love as an impetus for mission
Pope Leo XIV blesses Slovak pilgrimage as thousands mark Sts. Cyril and Methodius feast
Pope Leo XIV sent his blessing to Slovakia’s national pilgrimage in Nitra, where Cardinal Ladislav Nemet urged the faithful to reflect on their Christian roots and bear witness to the faith as tens of thousands marked the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius across Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The feast, July 5, is a public holiday in both countries. The main celebrations took place in Nitra, home to the oldest diocese in present-day Slovakia, founded in 880, and in Velehrad in the Czech Republic.
The Byzantine brothers, who devised an alphabet for the Old Slavonic spoken across Great Moravia, are believed to have been active in Nitra, Velehrad, or both in the ninth century.
Nitra’s national pilgrimage
In 2025, Cardinal Robert Prevost had been expected to preside over the Nitra Mass. He was instead elected Pope Leo XIV that May and was unable to attend.
This year, the Mass on Saturday, July 4, on the main square in Nitra was celebrated by Nemet, the archbishop of Belgrade, Serbia. Slovak bishops and the apostolic nuncio to Slovakia, Nicola Girasoli, concelebrated, while the current and former presidents of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini and Ivan Gašparovič, joined several thousand people for the liturgy.
Girasoli delivered the papal blessing. Citing Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the nuncio said Christians are called to “disarm” their words and temper aggression in public life and the media.
In his homily, Nemet said the feast is an opportunity to reflect on one’s own roots and on the mission of Christians today, who should not live in isolation but bear witness to the faith and values of the Gospel.
Sts. Cyril and Methodius were able to proclaim the Gospel in the mother tongue of the people of Great Moravia, which, the cardinal explained, opened the way to a deeper acceptance of the Christian faith among the Slavs.
“Culture must be respected and developed,” he said. “Culture is created by man, and therefore we have a calling to shape our own culture — to bear witness to how we believe in God and to live as good Christians in peace and cooperation with all.”
The mission, Nemet said, “belongs to every baptized person,” begins “where we are” in everyday life, and shows itself in “how we speak, how we forgive, how we live, how we love.”
During the traditional three-day celebration, which featured an artistic, cultural, and spiritual program, the local bishop, Viliam Judák, unveiled a milestone marker on the Sts. Cyril and Methodius pilgrimage route, which crosses Europe.
Organizers also set a national record when 32 people named after the saints gathered in one place. Each received a T-shirt reading “I am Cyril” or “I am Methodius.”
A concert by church choirs presented works inspired by the saints, and the bishop’s palace opened its doors to visitors as usual.
Across the border in the Czech Republic
In Velehrad, Czech Republic, Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl of Prague celebrated Mass on the feast itself, July 5. Alongside other Czech bishops, including one from Slovakia, organizers counted approximately 20,000 pilgrims.
The bishop of Brno, Pavel Konzbul, who was entrusted with the homily, pointed to the legacy of the learned St. Cyril, also known as Constantine. Konzbul quoted what he called a contemporary American journalist who said a nation that reads little knows little and makes poor decisions “at home, at the shop, in court, and at the ballot box.”
“St. Cyril knew that language and education are the means by which faith becomes a personal, comprehensible, and intimate matter,” Konzbul said.
The bishop advised pilgrims to take a book on holiday to help them enter “the realm of silence, about which St. Augustine wrote: ‘Entering silence means entering joy.’”
Konzbul said society is “facing individualism reinforced” by social media and “a crisis of values and meaning,” and that “many are beginning to realize again that freedom must be defended.” He acknowledged that it is hard not to be afraid at such a time, yet said fear need not paralyze people and can be turned into a driving force.
“Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to give us courage, as he did to St. Methodius, to make the right decisions even in the realm of fears and uncertainties.”
During the two-day celebration in Velehrad, Archbishop Josef Nuzík of Olomouc, president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, presented the “Velehrad Appeal” for reconciliation and understanding. It responds, he said, “to the growing polarization, aggression, and mistrust in society” and calls on people of goodwill to respect one another “even if they think differently,” to look for what unites them, and to “strive for reconciliation, hope, and peace.”
The text stresses that “our country does not need more division” but “more people who will look for what unites them,” and it presents reconciliation, dialogue, and mutual respect not as a sign of weakness but as “a condition for a good future for our country.” The appeal was supported by the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic.
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 2026 ends in Philadelphia, mission of evangelization continues
Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, Father Matt Brody of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia surveyed the throng of faithful making their way down Philadelphia’s Broad Street praying the rosary.
“People want to know why they are braving the heat to follow a canopy,” he explained to EWTN News. “I’ve already explained to three people what the Eucharist is. They are curious about the monstrance, and this gives a chance to evangelize.”
Evangelization was the chief mission of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 2026, which ended Sunday after passing through 18 dioceses since it began on May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida.
The final stop in Philadelphia took on a patriotic theme in the City of Brotherly Love as about 2,000 believers squeezed into the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul for Mass. Beforehand, sisters knelt before the relics of St. Katharine Drexel, one of America’s first saints. This year’s pilgrimage placed special emphasis on the American saints who have contributed not only to the Church but also to the American story.
Pope Leo XIV delivered remarks by video at the beginning of Mass encouraging his fellow Americans to “cultivate a Eucharistic life … with eyes fixed on the heavenly one.” Leo mentioned Sts. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Katharine Drexel, and John Neumann, among others.
The pilgrimage has drawn both believers and those who want to believe in something higher than themselves. This is what drew Erin Daly and her two daughters, Elsa and Lydia, to join the procession immediately following the Mass on Sunday. They were at Pope Leo’s first Corpus Christi Mass in Rome last June and wanted to be in town for this special occasion. Elsa, a student at the University of Dallas, was one of many young people holding signs with spiritual messages of hope and faith.
Another banner waver, Amear Mottley, explained that he had been to Mass that weekend, was curious to know more, and joined the procession because he wanted to be close to Jesus. Asked if he was Catholic, he responded: “I don’t know what I am.”
Marchers came from neighboring dioceses and from across the country. Deacon Dave Matour was with his wife, Sue, and 25 people from their parish in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and the Diocese of Oakland, California, was represented by 28 Catholics in matching pink T-shirts.
Many chose to wave American flags and wear their patriotism on their sleeves. Kevin and Janet Daly from Michigan were among those who wore the “One Nation Under God” motto.
The procession eased down Broad Street under a sweltering sun with Philadelphia’s City Hall behind it. A loudspeaker bellowed the Hail Mary in English and Spanish through the air while pilgrims withstood the heat, not complaining, and offering one another water, being vigilant of the elderly walkers who may have needed extra attention.
The procession turned on Girard Avenue for the final stretch to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, the pilgrimage’s final stop where the final Benediction would take place. Trumpets greeted marchers as they made their way up the steps into the church, waving their Mass programs as makeshift fans.
When the monstrance was held aloft and blessed the crowd, the heat inside the church subsided for a moment, and the exhausted gatherers got a sense of refreshment.
“We made it,” joked Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez, who carried the Blessed Sacrament for the entire last leg of pilgrimage on Sunday and concluded the day with remarks mixed with levity and awe at the impact the processions have had on the communities visited: “The pilgrimage is over, “he said, “but our journey continues because Christ walks with us.”