‘He presented a gun’: Dispute over Islamic mosque turns violent at New Mexico Catholic parish
A public dispute over the construction of an Islamic mosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico, boiled over into violence earlier this month when a local resident reportedly drew a gun during an altercation with an employee of a Catholic parish.
Father Vincent Paul Chávez, the pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Parish in Albuquerque, told EWTN News that the violent incident on July 22 came after several weeks of tension in the community stemming in part from the priest’s open support of a proposed 45,000-square-foot mosque that would be built several miles away from the parish.
Chávez said he spoke at a county meeting on July 1 in support of the construction of the mosque. In remarks he provided to EWTN News, the priest said at the meeting that he would “love” if the mosque were built next to the Catholic parish.
He referred to the Islamic religion as “noble Islam” and as “a religion of Abraham as are Christianity and Judaism.”
“Let us not be influenced by ignorance and racism,” the priest said at the meeting. “We have freedom of religion in these United States.”
Chávez said one attendee filmed his remarks and posted the video to social media; she reportedly urged local residents to contact Archbishop John Wester in protest.
The priest said he eventually responded via the parish’s marquee sign on which he has regularly posted topical messages throughout the years. Chávez said he posted the phrase “Racism is a grave sin against God’s love” on the marquee; two days later he added part of the woman’s name to the sign.
On July 22 Chávez said the woman came to the parish to take a video of the sign. The priest said he spoke briefly with her; he said he remarked to her that he was “living rent-free in her head.” Chávez then went inside the parish, at which point he directed the parish’s facilities manager to ask the woman to leave.
The woman appeared to leave, the priest said, but eventually returned with another man who was reportedly her boyfriend. Chávez said the pair approached the facilities manager in his car while the boyfriend allegedly “presented a gun.” The manager then sprayed both of them in the face with mace.
Chávez said he ran out to take video of the rest of the encounter, which subsequently “de-escalated” with the boyfriend leaving in his car. He was arrested the next day and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault. The priest said he was told by authorities that the FBI may be investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Both news reports and Chávez himself identified the individuals in the dispute as local residents Katrina Griego and David Romero. Neither individual responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Several days after the violent incident at the parish, on July 27, Wester issued a statement in which he said that Muslim residents of Albuquerque “have the same God-given and constitutionally protected right to worship freely as every other faith community, including our own.”
Citing the Second Vatican Council, the archbishop said the principle of freedom of religion “is not limited to Catholics or Christians; it extends fully to Muslims, Jews, and all people who seek to worship according to their conscience.”
In a July 30 statement the U.S. Council on American-Islamic Relations praised the assault charges brought against the suspect in the parish dispute, thanking law enforcement for “taking this alleged threat seriously.”
"No faith leader should face intimidation or violence for defending the constitutional rights and religious freedom of his neighbors,” the council said in its statement.
In a statement to his parishioners after the incident, meanwhile, Chávez said the altercation was “a sobering reminder that words matter.”
“When disagreements become fueled by anger, fear, or hatred, they can have real and dangerous consequences,” he said.
The priest urged the congregation to pray for “everyone involved,” including “those whose actions led to this painful event.”
Pope issues new constitution for Vatican City State
Pope Leo XIV has promulgated a new constitution for Vatican City State, formally enshrining the possibility for a non-cardinal to serve as president of its governing body.
The new laws, making up the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, were published on July 31. They replace the 2023 constitution by Pope Francis, which emphasized papal authority over the sovereign state.
In an explanatory note, the Vatican said the new law responded to government and regulatory changes in recent years.
Non-cardinal eligibility for Vatican presidency enshrined in Fundamental Law
The most direct change in the 2026 law concerned the presidency and composition of the Vatican’s pontifical commission and governorate.
In 2025, Pope Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, as the first woman and first non-cardinal to serve as president of both the Pontifical Commission and the Governorate. Although the 2023 law already allowed non-cardinals to be members of the commission, its presidency had been reserved to a cardinal.
The Vatican subsequently said Francis had modified the Fundamental Law in connection with Petrini’s appointment. In November 2025, Leo XIV issued a motu proprio expressly providing that non-cardinals could serve as president. The 2026 constitution now incorporates that change into the state’s Fundamental Law.
In 2025, Leo XIV issued a motu proprio (a decree by the pope’s own initiative) to legally allow non-cardinals to serve on the commission of Vatican City State. With his 2026 constitution, that change is now codified into the state’s law.
Other changes
Other changes in Leo’s 2026 constitution included changes in the role of the general councilor. It allows for the general councilor to participate in commission meetings and provide consultation.
The 2026 law also specified the role of the secretary-general, who will implement the policies of the president.
Leo XIV’s new constitution is the fourth since the creation of Vatican City State in 1929. Following its Lateran Treaty with Italy that year, the first constitution was established and remained the law of the sovereign state until St. John Paul II replaced it in 2000.
Catholic priest sues U.S. government as processing delays complicate visa, residency
A Nigerian-born Catholic priest serving in the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, sued the federal government after facing delays in processing his request for permanent residency, which has culminated in the expiration of his religious work visa and work authorization.
Father Sylvester Okoh, who was serving in the diocesan hospital ministry under an R-1 religious worker visa, can remain in the country as he awaits government action. Yet, because the priest lost his work authorization amid the delays, he is unable to perform his duties in the diocese.
When reached for comment, Okoh referred EWTN News to his lawyer, Alexander Smith, who said his client has done everything by the book, has not broken any laws, and “just wants to get back to work.”
Smith said there “are no court orders as of yet,” and his application is still pending. He said “we are confident that the government and the court” will recognize the delay is “unreasonable” and ensure his application is processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“Father Okoh meets the criteria for these forms of immigration benefits,” he said. “USCIS should have been able to make decisions on his applications within the time allowed. We hope that the government will respond favorably and we will be able to avoid further litigation. Father Okoh wishes to return to his important work as soon as possible.”
Okoh applied for permanent residency on Nov. 7, 2022 — nearly two years before his work authorization was set to expire on Aug. 30, 2024. Because of delays, USCIS extended his authorization until July 19 so he could continue working, and that extension has expired.
One reason for the delay is that USCIS adopted policies in December 2025 and January 2026 that put holds on applications from 39 “high risk” countries, including Nigeria. A federal court order in June requires that USCIS process these applications.
The lawsuit, which was filed shortly before his extension expired, warned that continued delays mean he “will be unable to perform his religious duties,” which will also “interfere with religious services for the diocese.”
It warned of “significant emotional hardship” to Okoh, the diocese, and his parishioners. The lawsuit alleges that USCIS failed to process the application in a “reasonable time,” which is required by law.
“The unreasonable delay in adjudicating [Okoh’s] application has resulted in [him] being stuck in limbo and has caused an extreme hardship on [him],” it adds.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for USCIS told EWTN News the agency generally does not comment on individual immigration cases. The spokesperson confirmed that USCIS is complying with the June court decision that requires these applications be processed.
Smith said he has not received a response from the federal government as of July 30.
The diocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli strike damages Christian-run hospital in Gaza, Catholic aid group says
Israeli airstrikes on an apartment building adjacent to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City damaged the hospital on the evening of July 29, blowing out windows and doors, and frightening patients and medical staff, according to a report by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA).
“The repeated explosions create confusion among medical staff and place additional psychological pressure on patients,” Mousa Ayad, manager at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, told CNEWA’s Diaa Ostaz.
Ayad told CNEWA he could not rule out another airstrike: “This is war, and no one knows where the next danger will be. But given the hospital’s humanitarian and medical role, we do not believe that the hospital is the intended target.”
According to CNEWA, Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said emergency response crews were not able to immediately reach the struck building, which is beside the hospital and a shelter for displaced people, because responders feared a second strike.
“The fire burned for more than 15 minutes before our crews could move in,” he said, according to CNEWA. “We continue to work with severe shortages of firefighting vehicles, water tankers and fuel, making every emergency response more difficult.”
CNEWA reported that, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and another 3,900 injured since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.
Ayad told CNEWA that despite the ceasefire, Gaza’s health sector is still in dire circumstances.
“The situation has not improved significantly. Hospitals continue to face shortages of medical supplies, equipment and essential consumables,” he said. “Thousands of patients remain on waiting lists for surgery, while many others still need to travel outside Gaza for specialized treatment.”
Last year, he told CNEWA that the hospital was operating at 350% capacity and a total evacuation would be “a major humanitarian challenge.”
This is not the first time the hospital has been struck.
On Oct. 17, 2023, an airstrike on the hospital killed 500 people and injured many others. More than 5,000 people were sheltering at the hospital at the time, reported Joseph Hazboun, regional director for CNEWA’s Jerusalem office.
Then, in June 2025 airstrikes, six people, including four journalists, were killed and 30 others were injured.
Three months later, Israel Defense Forces killed one person and injured several others after it launched a missile that landed in the hospital’s courtyard, according to CNEWA.
The Catholic aid group has long supported Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, and since January 2025, it has partnered with the hospital to provide urgent medical services.
Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 as “an instrument of love and a sign of hope for those in need scattered throughout the historic but unstable lands of the ancient Eastern churches — the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe,” according to the group’s website.
Church in Venezuela to ‘remain at the side of the suffering’ following earthquakes
One month after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, the Catholic Church is focused on “remaining at the side of the suffering,” according to Father Ricardo Guillén, episcopal vicar for pastoral ministry of the Archdiocese of Caracas.
In an interview with the archdiocesan press office, the priest explained how “physical presence, active listening, and organized charity” have been the cornerstones of the Church’s response to the tragedy, which claimed the lives of thousands of people and severely affected tens of thousands more.
“Our immediate priority was to be present where the suffering was most acute; we showed up and shared close up with the vulnerability of our people,” he said.
From the very first hours following the earthquakes, he continued, the Church understood that this accompaniment “could not take place from a distance” but rather “required being physically present in the places of greatest uncertainty to support those who had lost everything.”
“For this reason, we deployed directly to the areas most critical to the emergency,” he added. Consecrated personnel and lay volunteers assessed the scale of the disaster, offering special support to people at the morgues “to embrace and share in the families’ painful silence” and bringing the comfort of the sacraments.
“In each of those places, our mission was simply to be present, to listen, and not to leave anyone alone,” Guillén added.
‘God never abandons us’
After highlighting “the profound vocation of service and solidarity,” which he said especially characterizes the new generations of Venezuelans and which enabled the enormous logistical response to the emergency, the episcopal vicar noted that it is precisely “in closeness and compassion” that God’s presence is revealed amid so much pain.
Beyond providing material aid, the Catholic Church’s “fundamental mission” was to “be a living presence of the Lord and sustain the faith where suffering was the greatest,” regardless of the difficulties posed by the earthquakes. Thus, the Church “had to take to the streets,” transforming plazas, parks, and sports fields into “open-air altars” for religious services and encouraging the most popular devotions in Caracas and La Guaira.
“One of the most moving services was accompanying people in their grief,” he said. “We priests were present in morgues, hospitals, and cemeteries in Caracas and La Guaira, supporting those who were suffering, often offering nothing more than a hug, weeping with those who wept, praying together, or maintaining a respectful silence in the face of such immense pain.”
“Bringing grace and comfort to places where suffering reigned was living proof that God never abandons us,” he added.
What are lessons the earthquakes taught the Church?
Guillén emphasized that “the earthquake left deep scars, but it also revealed the immense spiritual and solidarity reserves of our people.”
“Far from plunging us into despair, this tragedy becomes an urgent call to make fraternity a permanent way of life, oriented toward the common good and the recognition of every person’s dignity,” he said.
He remarked that “true consolation requires neither explanations nor grand speeches,” but rather manifests itself “in quiet presence, in an outstretched hand, in attentive listening that takes in the pain, and in respectful silence that helps heal the wounds of the soul.”
The earthquakes “leave us with profound lessons” for the Church in Venezuela and have confronted the entire country with “the urgent need to organize ourselves better in the face of contingencies of this magnitude,” he said. In that sense, he continued, Cáritas must strengthen itself and become “a true network of solidarity capable of reaching even the most remote areas” of Venezuela.
“Ultimately, this time confirms for us that the faith lived out is authenticated through charity and tangible dedication to the most vulnerable,” Guillén said.
“For this reason, the Church in Caracas reaffirms its unwavering commitment to continue accompanying those affected. We are not pulling out now that the immediate phase of the emergency has ended; we will be there for the long road of rebuilding society and the integral healing of our people’s lives,” he pledged.
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 confirms second Chinese bishop in a week under Vatican-Beijing agreement
Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained Wednesday as coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after being appointed by Pope Leo XIV on June 15 under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.
Duan’s episcopal ordination was the second connected to appointments made public by the Vatican within the space of a week.
The pope also appointed Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng as the new bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia, on June 15. Chang was also ordained a bishop Wednesday, although the Vatican announced his appointment on July 22, while Duan’s appointment was made public this week.
The Holy See Press Office said Duan, 45, was appointed coadjutor bishop of Bameng after the Holy Father approved his candidacy through the procedures established by the Vatican-Beijing agreement governing the appointment of bishops in China.
Biography
Duan was born Dec. 6, 1980, in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. He studied at the Hebei theological seminary from 2000 to 2007.
He later continued his academic studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University between 2008 and 2013.
Duan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bameng on Jan. 1, 2011. He subsequently studied at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan from 2013 to 2016.
After returning to his diocese, he served as director of the local formation center from 2016 to 2020. He was later appointed vicar general of the Diocese of Bameng and pastor of the diocesan cathedral, positions he held until his episcopal appointment.
Duan’s ordination represents another step in cooperation between the Holy See and Chinese authorities over the filling of episcopal sees.
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 diplomatic relations since 1951, following the rise to power of Mao Zedong’s communist government. 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 2018 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.
Under the publicly understood terms of the agreement, the pope retains the final decision on episcopal appointments in China and may reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, for its part, agreed not to appoint bishops without the prior approval of the Chinese government.
Tensions during papal interregnum
During the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops, including one for a diocese already led by a prelate recognized by the Vatican.
On April 28, 2025, Father Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by Church organizations controlled by the Chinese state. The following day, Father Li Jianlin was selected as bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province.
Li’s selection caused controversy because the Holy See already recognized Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese.
Although the selections may have been planned before Francis’ death, their timing attracted the attention of observers.
AsiaNews reported that the decisions conveyed a clear message from the Chinese Communist Party: A vacant papal see would not affect the operation of the Catholic Church in China.
With Duan’s appointment and episcopal ordination, 16 Chinese Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the provisional agreement signed by China and the Holy See during the pontificate of Francis.
Chinese episcopal appointments under Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV has closely followed the appointment and ordination of Chinese bishops. Drawing on his years of missionary and pastoral service, the pope has shown particular concern that Catholics in China be able to practice their faith in peace, proclaim the Gospel, and help heal divisions that remain within the local Church.
He has also emphasized the importance of safeguarding ecclesial communion and unity with the successor of Peter as the visible guarantee of communion between the bishops and the universal Church.
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Leo has advanced several episcopal appointments in China and entrusted new responsibilities to bishops who had already been ordained.
On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province. Pope Leo XIV had made the appointment on June 5. Lin welcomed the decision and expressed his willingness to cooperate in the diocese’s pastoral mission.
On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which Pope Pius XII had established in 1946, and created the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.
Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, received episcopal ordination.
Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on Oct. 15, 2025, after Leo appointed him to the position on Aug. 11.
Father Francis Li Jianlin was ordained bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province on Dec. 5, 2025, after being appointed by the pope on Aug. 11.
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.
Michigan hospital will change LGBT policies, pay fired physician assistant $400,000 after lawsuit
A major health system in Michigan will make a six-figure payout to one of its former physician assistants whom the institution fired after she refused to adhere to LGBT-related policies there.
The University of Michigan Health-West system will also create a religious accommodation for employees who do not wish to assist with transgender-related “transitions” or procedures or use LGBT pronouns in a way that violates their religious beliefs.
The legal group First Liberty Institute announced the settlement on July 29, revealing that Valerie Kloosterman and her attorneys would receive $410,000 in damages from the health institution.
Kloosterman, a Christian, had worked at the hospital for 17 years starting in 2004. She was fired in August 2021 after she refused to use LGBT pronouns and make referrals for transgender-related “transition” drugs and surgeries, according to a 2022 lawsuit filed in U.S. district court.
The suit alleged that hospital workers “denigrated [Kloosterman’s] religious beliefs” and “blamed her for gender dysphoria-related suicides” before firing her. The hospital “had no interest in working toward a cooperative, religiously tolerant solution,” the suit said.
Kloosterman on July 29 said in her work she had wished to “provide the best care possible to my patients without being forced to violate my Christian beliefs.”
The new policy “ensures that providers of faith and employees at UMHW will receive religious accommodations so that they can provide excellent care consistent with their medical judgment, because all patients are created in the image of God,” she said.
Numerous U.S. institutions in recent years have faced lawsuits and major payouts involving disputes over LGBT ideology.
In 2025 the University of Louisville agreed to pay a former professor nearly $1.6 million after it demoted him and refused to renew his contract following off-campus expert testimony in which he spoke about the dangers of performing transgender operations on children.
The same year, United Airlines reached a settlement with a flight attendant who alleged that the airline fired him over expressing support for Catholic teachings on marriage and gender identity.
In 2022, meanwhile, a professor at Shawnee State University received $400,000 after he faced disciplinary action for refusing to use transgender pronouns for a student who identified as the opposite sex.
Ukrainian ambassador says papal visit would give major boost to peace
A potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine could make a significant contribution to international efforts to end the war and achieve a lasting peace, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See said.
“We are absolutely sure that his possible visit would be a great input into the process of reaching peace there,” Ambassador Andrii Yurash said in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.
He said the presence on Ukrainian soil of “probably the most respectable spiritual leader of the world,” carrying “a message of peace” and “a message of justice,” would be “the greatest input into this process.”
Yurash spoke after Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, said the Vatican was seriously considering the possibility of a papal visit to Ukraine.
Gallagher spent six days in the country last week. On July 20, he met in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked the Holy See for its continued support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.
“We continuously express our wish to have His Holiness as quick as possible in Ukraine,” Yurash said.
The diplomat said expectations among the Ukrainian population for a papal visit were extremely high.
“The pope is the most wanted foreign representative in Ukraine,” he said, adding that Ukrainians would like to receive and embrace him and “listen to his messages expressed directly on the Ukrainian land.”
Yurash said he was confident the pope understood those expectations.
“I hope he is thinking very seriously about that, and I hope he is looking for some really appropriate moment when it can be realized,” he said.
Repeated invitations
Pope Leo XIV has received several official invitations to visit Ukraine.
Yurash said the invitations had been extended at every level since Zelenskyy first met the pope on the day of his inauguration. The Ukrainian president and the pontiff have since held two other meetings, according to the ambassador.
The latest invitation came on Good Friday, when Zelenskyy formally asked Pope Leo XIV to make an apostolic visit to the country.
During the conversation, the pope expressed his closeness to Ukrainians suffering because of the war and emphasized the urgent need to guarantee humanitarian assistance. He also expressed his hope for an end to hostilities and a just and lasting peace with Russia.
Gallagher’s visit was preceded by a second mission to Ukraine by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the pope’s special envoy.
The archbishop of Bologna recently completed a four-day visit to Lviv and Kyiv, during which he emphasized the exchange of prisoners, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Yurash said the missions demonstrated the Holy See’s commitment to Ukraine.
“I think the message is very obvious,” he said.
“The message is that His Holiness understands realities of the war in Ukraine, and in this way of sending two very high representatives of the Holy See, he is trying to show that he is supporting Ukraine in general and any attempts to reach, to achieve just peace for Ukraine, as he expressed many, many times,” Yurash said. “So I think the message is absolutely clear.”
Ukraine is not alone
The ambassador also highlighted the moral and spiritual support that he said the Holy See continues to offer Ukraine.
“The Holy See shows that Ukraine is not alone, that the Holy See is trying to do everything possible to support spiritually Ukrainian people, to give some hope, to inspire people to be strong,” he said.
Yurash said that support was also rooted in the defense of international law and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“The value of international law is recognized by everybody, and the Holy See always repeatedly speaks that the Holy See supports territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said.
“The Holy See, the whole civilized world, is against the violation of international law,” Yurash continued. “And in this spiritual, Church way, the Holy See expressed one more time this very concrete message for us.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Catholics in Haiti help the underserved as country prepares for elections
Despite the unchecked violence of criminal gangs and the political crisis that has been roiling Haiti for several years, a Catholic community there has set to work addressing the needs of an underserved area.
“Just two days ago, we began work to extend the village water system by about one kilometer down into the valley,” said Father Massimo Miraglio, explaining to the Fides agency the details of a project destined to “make a tangible difference” in the daily lives of the small community of Pourcine Pic Makaya.
The project aims to bring spring water to “two new distribution points,” which will make it possible to "serve three additional hamlets near the plateau where Pourcine is located,” the Camillian missionary explained.
“For many families, this will mean a real improvement in everyday life: Children and young people, who are usually responsible for carrying water for their households, will have much shorter distances to walk and a far lighter burden,” he added.
The community hired several local residents for the aqueduct expansion project. The work is expected to be completed in a few weeks. With improved water quality, the Catholic community will help “prevent many diseases linked to the use of contaminated water,” Miraglio said.
“Healthcare remains one of Haitiʼs most fragile sectors. A significant sign of hope came on July 14 with the inauguration of the new St. Camillus Hospital in Jérémie, created to provide essential healthcare services to the local population,” the priest stated.
These initiatives unfold amid a nation still locked in a profound crisis. While media coverage centers on gang violence, political instability, and migration, deeper humanitarian emergencies, such as internal displacement, hunger, and the growing vulnerability of women and children, persist unresolved.
Date set for first presidential election in a decade
On July 27, Haitiʼs electoral council set the date for the first presidential and legislative elections in a decade. The schedule sets the first round for Dec. 13, while the runoff will take place on Feb. 21, 2027.
The final results will be announced on March 7, 2027. Additionally, the electoral council specified that citizens will also be able to vote on constitutional changes and elect other local representatives. Initially, the first round of elections was scheduled for this August but was postponed due to security concerns.
The last elections in the Caribbean nation were held in 2016 and were marred by controversy. Following that process, Jovenel Moïse became president, holding office until his assassination in 2021.
Since then, Haiti has spiraled into political chaos and violence, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs operate with free rein and control much of the territory.
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.
Official Seoul World Youth Day song to be released Aug. 3
With roughly one year to go before World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027, organizers have announced the launch dates for its official theme song.
In a July 30 press release, the local organizing committee announced the start of the event’s implementation phase, continuing preparations for services to welcome pilgrims.
Pope Leo XIV will also attend the global event, to be held Aug. 3–8, 2027. His attendance will continue the trend of a regular papal presence at WYD since St. John Paul II established it in 1985.
WYD 2027 will be the first WYD to be celebrated in a non-Christian country and only the second in Asia.
Theme song and tree-planting campaign to launch Aug. 3
On Aug. 3, the WYD 2027 countdown will begin, and its official theme song will premiere on its official YouTube channel. The song, “Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum” (“Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World,” in Latin), was the winning composition from 434 submissions and was written by Korean composer Francis Jiyoon Kim.
That same day, the Breath of Life Global Tree-Planting Campaign will launch, inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. The campaign will encourage young people to practice ecological stewardship in line with the vision laid out in that encyclical.
The registration window for WYD 2027 will open in the latter half of 2026, offering pilgrims accommodation, meals, transportation, and insurance services. Volunteers will also be able to register at that time.
WYD 2027: A celebration of Korean hospitality
In the press release, Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the local organizing committee, expressed hope that the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims expected in Seoul will experience the hospitality of the South Korean people.
“We will do everything possible to make WYD Seoul 2027 a celebration of hope and a witness to the hospitality and solidarity of Korea and Seoul,” Chung said in the release.
“Over the past three years, we have concentrated on laying the foundations for the event. The year ahead will be the time to complete our preparations and welcome young people from every part of the world.”