Newly identified St. Augustine sermons explore troubling Bible passage
The diocesan library of Pelplin in the Pomerania region of northern Poland was unknowingly safeguarding a true treasure.
Situated next to the imposing Gothic cathedral where Cistercians have prayed for centuries, this depository of knowledge preserved a medieval manuscript whose significance has since come to light.
In 2024, Paul Alexander Nebauer, an independent researcher specializing in the medieval history of the former Cistercian monastery of Bad Doberan in Germany, contacted Christian Tornau, a professor of classical philology (Latin studies) at the University of Würzburg, to propose a mission to him: He had located a medieval codex containing several sermons attributed to St. Augustine and needed help identifying and translating them.
Tornau, considered one of Germany’s leading specialists on the works of St. Augustine of Hippo and Christian literature of late antiquity, accepted the challenge.
To an untrained observer, the manuscript might appear to be little more than a collection of aged pages, yellowed in hue with the smell of an ancient document.
However, the exhaustive philological research conducted by Tornau together with Clemens Weidmann, a researcher at the “Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum” (Corpus of Latin Ecclesiastical Writings or CSEL, by its Latin acronym) in Vienna, Austria, and a team of young scholars ultimately revealed a discovery of immense importance.
The manuscript was copied at the Doberan monastery during the 12th century and may have been transcribed from an older codex originating from Amelungsborn, a historic Cistercian monastery located in the present-day German state of Lower Saxony.
Of the four sermons analyzed, two were already known to specialists: one recognized as authentically Augustinian and another classified as pseudo-Augustinian. The other two, however, could not be immediately identified.
“We transcribed the new texts and began analyzing them with a view to a future edition. We were fascinated, of course, by the idea of having found new sermons by St. Augustine, but we soon became skeptical because, in some places, the sermons did not seem to have been written by Augustine,” Tornau explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
2 years of research to verify authenticity
Without letting themselves get carried away by the initial rush of excitement, the researchers wanted to subject the discovery to the highest academic standards before validating it. “Our final verdict that they are authentic is the result of continuous philological work during nearly two years,” noted the German scholar.
Part of this work was carried out during a summer school organized by the CSEL in Vienna in 2025, attended by doctoral students and early-career researchers specializing in early Christian literature. Following a meticulous analysis of the texts and their transmission into a manuscript, the team concluded that there were no serious objections to attributing them to St. Augustine.
According to the researcher, although several centuries of textual transmission separate the era of St. Augustine (fifth century) from the surviving manuscript, the document offers a surprisingly reliable version.
“Several centuries lie between Augustine and this 12th-century scribe, so it is easy to imagine that errors occurred during transmission. Nevertheless, we have a very good text, and with a few critical corrections, we can largely reconstruct what St. Augustine said,” he explained.
Among the most compelling arguments are the dating of the sermons to late antiquity — between the fifth and seventh centuries — as well as the description of liturgical practices that, in Tornau’s words, “would be unimaginable in the Middle Ages.”
Furthermore, according to the researcher, “the background is North African, as is evident from the concluding prayer of the first sermon, which is attested only in Africa of late antiquity.”
Specialists also confirmed that the author possessed a profound understanding of Augustinian thought, without, however, merely reproducing it mechanically.
“The preacher is familiar with the thought and works of St. Augustine, but he does not simply copy them — which could be a sign of inauthenticity,” he explained.
He further added that “the sermons contain nothing that could not have been said by Augustine, whether from a linguistic, exegetical, or theological standpoint.”
After comparing expressions, arguments, and textual features against the extant body of Augustinian works, the researchers reached a firm conclusion.
“Since the preacher is indistinguishable from St. Augustine, we consider it methodologically sound to accept St. Augustine’s authorship rather than inventing an anonymous ‘disciple’ or ‘follower,’” Tornau explained.
A biblical passage that posed a major theological problem
The two sermons center on one of the most complex episodes in the Old Testament: King Saul’s consultation with the medium or “witch” of Endor, recounted in Chapter 28 of the First Book of Samuel.
According to the biblical account, abandoned by God and in despair over the threat posed by the Philistines, Saul turns to a necromancer to summon the prophet Samuel. The prophet appears and foretells his imminent death.
“This narrative posed a problem for early Christian exegesis. How could a necromancer wield magical, diabolical power over Samuel, a saint of God? Is God unable or unwilling to prevent it? Evidently, this raises the question of theodicy,” Tornau explained.
According to Britannica, theodicy is “an explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil.”
Before St. Augustine, two main interpretations prevailed. The first held that Samuel had actually appeared, albeit by divine will or permission, and not as a result of magic. The second maintained that the apparition was, in reality, an evil spirit assuming the prophetʼs appearance to deceive Saul.
What is new is the emergence of two specific sermons in which the bishop of Hippo addresses the matter before his congregation without ruling out either possibility.
“In the new sermons, St. Augustine discusses both possibilities along with their advantages and drawbacks and concludes that both are acceptable because neither contradicts the Christian faith,” the professor noted.
For Tornau, this stance reflects a distinctive trait of the bishop of Hippo. “This openness to divergent interpretations of Scripture is characteristic of Augustine in general,” he observed.
According to the specialist, this doctor of the Church, one of the most significant and influential minds in the history of philosophy, adopts an attitude far more willing to dialogue than other ancient authors, who tended to engage in harsh polemics against opposing views.
The great surprise: Saul may have been saved
The most striking aspect of the new texts is a hypothesis previously unknown to the Augustinian tradition.
“The most notable element of the new sermons is the idea that Saul, after hearing Samuel’s prophecy, could have repented and been redeemed,” Tornau noted.
According to the researcher, this interpretation has no parallels in either the known works of the bishop of Hippo or in early Christian exegesis, where the figure of Saul is typically portrayed in a decidedly negative light.
In these sermons, St. Augustine seems to suggest that even a figure as controversial as Israel’s first king might have ultimately opened himself to divine grace.
“The idea may be an original invention of Augustine’s, or perhaps he had access — directly or indirectly — to Rabbinic Jewish exegesis, which is far more positive regarding Saul,” the specialist noted.
Be that as it may, Tornau said he believes this interpretation sheds light on a fundamental aspect of Augustinian thought.
“His intellectual independence and his willingness to consider that anyone, even those who seem most wicked, is capable of attaining salvation through the grace of God” is striking, Tornau commented.
For the expert, this insight accurately reflects the personality of the great Church Father who died in the year 430 and whose work has shaped European theology, philosophy, spirituality, and culture for centuries: “This combines intellectual honesty and episcopal humility in a remarkable and very Augustinian way.”
The next step is to prepare a critical edition of the Latin text with a German translation and a substantial introduction that will explain the history of the discovery; describe the manuscript, its contents and dating; and place the new sermons in the context of St. Augustine’s body of work and the history of Christian exegesis. The publication could appear in early 2027.
The discovery has already sparked numerous reactions in academic and ecclesiastical circles. “Perhaps also because the pope is an Augustinian, which has heightened interest in St. Augustine,” remarked Tornau, who said he hopes to personally present the future critical edition to Leo XIV.
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.
Catholic prison ministry brings sacraments, mercy, and community to those behind bars
For Catholics behind prison walls, incarceration does not mean separation from the Church. Catholic prison ministers and bishops say those in jail and prison remain members of the Catholic community, and they are in particular need of the sacraments, companionship, and God’s mercy.
Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday was observed July 26, highlighting the Church’s call to remember those who are incarcerated.
William Hall, coordinator of Prison Ministry for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, and a member of the Buckingham Correctional Center ministry, said the work is rooted in Christ’s command in Matthew 25 to visit those in prison.
“We try to go in and provide sacraments, provide comfort to the men in prison,” Hall told Veronica Dudo in a July 29 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”
‘Just as much a part of the parish’
Hall said Catholics behind bars should not be defined solely by their crimes or convictions.
“The guys in prison might just say, ‘Donʼt think of me for what I did but of who I am,’” he said.
Many incarcerated Catholics, Hall added, have discovered a deeper spiritual life through the Church’s presence in prison.
For Hall, ministry begins with a simple approach: “Listen, listen, love, love.”
“You listen to the person, understand where they are in their life, and try to do what you can to make their life better,” he said.
That ministry can bear fruit in unexpected ways.
Hall recalled a recent example in which inmates learned that a young boy outside the prison had been seriously injured when his foot was run over by a lawnmower. Although the inmates earned less than $1 an hour for their prison work, they collected more than $1,000 to send to the boy.
“That got news coverage,” Hall said, adding that the response eventually led corporations to get involved and “became a really big thing.”
For Hall, the story demonstrated how the faith of incarcerated men can move beyond the prison walls.
‘We’re all sinners’
Bishop William Wack of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, in a July 29 interview with “EWTN News Nightly” emphasized that prisoners remain part of the bishop’s flock.
Shortly after becoming bishop, Wack received a letter from an inmate reminding him that those behind bars wanted to see their shepherd.
“We’re here, and we’re your flock as well,” Wack recalled the inmate writing. “We have needs. We want Communion. We want to see you in person, and time with our shepherd.”
The letter was a “wake-up call” for Wack and renewed his desire to visit prisons, listen to inmates, and celebrate the sacraments with them.
Wack said his own experience with prison ministry began during seminary, when he chose to work with juveniles in detention centers. He later ministered in jails and prisons, including spending an entire summer in a California prison.
Those experiences helped him develop “a love for just being with our brothers and sisters who are incarcerated.”
The bishop stressed that prison ministry does not excuse criminal behavior.
“We’re never saying what you did, what you’re accused of, or what you’re convicted of is OK,” he said. “That’s not what prison ministry is all about.”
Instead, the ministry recognizes a fundamental spiritual need shared by every person.
“We’re all sinners,” Wack said. “It’s just getting to the heart of what we all need: God’s mercy, God’s forgiveness.”
‘Prayer goes a long way’
Wack acknowledged that most Catholics cannot personally enter prisons to minister to inmates. But he said they can still participate in this corporal work of mercy.
“Prayer. That goes a long way,” he said, encouraging Catholics to pray both for those who are incarcerated and for those who minister to them.
Hall said he has also found that prison ministry transforms the volunteers who enter the facilities.
“One of the things people donʼt really realize is that we volunteers who go in get as much out of this as the men in prison,” Hall said.
The Church enters prisons not merely to provide services but to bring Christʼs mercy to people who may feel forgotten and to remind Catholics outside prison walls that they, too, are called to see Christ in those society can easily overlook.
Hall said the experience reveals the deeper reality of Catholic prison ministry: “It’s a large and profitable Christian community.”
For Catholics behind bars, the Church remains a place of sacramental life, community, forgiveness, and hope.
And for those who visit them, prison ministry can become a powerful reminder of Christʼs words in Matthew 25: “I was in prison, and you visited me.”
Charles Carroll Legacy Gala to celebrate U.S. founder, support faithful‑citizenship course
The Faithful Citizenship Institute (FCI) will host its inaugural gala honoring Charles Carroll of Maryland, the only Catholic Founding Father, whose faith endured during a time Catholics faced prejudice and marginalization.
FCI, which brings policymakers together to infuse Catholic social teaching (CST) into their work, said it plans to make the event an annual gathering dedicated to preserving and advancing Carroll’s legacy.
The Charles Carroll Legacy Gala will be at Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Maryland, on Aug. 2, the anniversary of Carroll signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Proceeds from the evening will support scholarships and the expansion of the FCIʼs CST Certification Course, which is working to equip policy workers to bring faith, reason, and the common good into civic leadership.
Carroll was “quite persecuted as a Catholic, but he chose to put his name on a piece of paper that was very dangerous to his career, his family, his life,” Jennifer Daniels, founder and president of FCI, told EWTN News.
He “chose to say, ‘I want to, and I will, sign this document.’ Now today weʼre trying to uphold that legacy in the same manner, saying, ‘If youʼre Catholic, you want to live your Catholic faith publicly,’” she said.
The event will include Mass and a reception on the grounds of Carroll’s birthplace. Upon his passing, the property was sold to the Redemptorist order, which also built St. Maryʼs Church on the property.
The event will feature tours of the grounds, and attendees will hear from Bradley Birzer, Hillsdale College history professor and author of “American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll.”
In the 250th year of the United States, the event will highlight Catholics in America and how “the Church approaches issues, which is not ideological and nonpartisan, very different from the way that the average policymaker in Washington does,” Daniels said.
“While the parties may argue about this and that, the first and foremost prime principle is human dignity,” she said. “If we just get Catholics … talking about human dignity as the prime principle, that translates into all kinds of policy areas.”
“If weʼre leading with human dignity and our result is the common good, weʼre certainly setting ourselves up for some better policy solutions,” Daniels said.
The Faithful Citizenship Institute
FCI, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., grew from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) teaching document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility,” calling for the faithful to understand political responsibilities as Catholics.
After working in politics and policy for more than 20 years, Daniels started FCI in 2024.
“Our mission is to bring the beauty and wisdom of Catholic social teaching to policymakers and really help them to kind of infuse these foundational principles, so that they can lead with their faith in their policymaking,” Daniels said.
The institute started by “doing some briefings on Capitol Hill,” she said. “Weʼd bring in some great Catholic leaders from various Catholic national organizations that work in Washington, D.C.,” Daniels said.
“The more we started talking to people, the more we started learning that people wanted a deeper dive. They wanted a more comprehensive understanding, not just of the current political event or the current hot-button issue, but a better foundation for all the principles,” she said.
This led the institute to create its CST Certification Course — a graduate-level course designed for Catholic public policy professionals.
“We launched the course last year in the fall of 2025. We had 15 participants from basically all three branches of government, advocacy, think tanks,” Daniels said.
Over the seven-month course, “we walked through the four principles of Catholic social teaching, as well as a history of Catholic social teaching,” she said. The group worked to answer: “What is Catholic social teaching meant for within the context of civic engagement and public policy?”
The course grew into a partnership with The Catholic University of America (CUA). By completing the certification course, students become eligible for up to three credit hours toward a Master of Public Policy at CUA.
Almost all the professors are from CUA, who “do the theological and the academic course instruction, but we added something different … which is the public policy application,” Daniels said.
“With that, we brought in leaders — policy practitioners that work for groups like USCCB, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Health Association, Catholic Climate Covenant,” that discussed “in that nonideological, nonpartisan way, that we want to help to elevate the conversation,” she said.
The institute is going through its 2026-2027 applications and has double the number of applicants since the first year. Applicants include people from the executive branch, Capitol Hill staffers, advocacy workers, and people who work for Church organizations.
With the growing interest in the course, FCI is adding new aspects. For this yearʼs course, which will begin in September, “we are going to put a focus on Pope Leoʼs document Magnifica Humanitas,” Daniels said.
“Pope Leo went through so much of Catholic social teaching in the document. It wasnʼt just about AI. It was really a very comprehensive document about all kinds of elements of Catholic social teaching,” she said.
“Then weʼll end the course with a retreat on Magnificat Humanitas and Catholic principles regarding AI policy. That will be our last event at the end of the course,” she said.
Pope Leo XIV: I still have a great love for America
Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, has emphasized his continued love for his native country, even as head of the global Catholic Church.
The pontiff made these remarks in an interview with Tom Llamas of NBC News on July 29 at Castel Gandolfo. The interview followed the “Canticle of Peace” music prayer service for peace at the Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Gardens at Castel Gandolfo, featuring music by the renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Leo, in discussing his love for America, clarified that his identity is now of a universal pastor.
“I have great love for America,” Leo told NBC News. “But I understand my mission as having a very important dimension, which is precisely being pastor of a universal church.”
“I think of myself more as the pope who happens to be American.”
The pope also acknowledged the historic significance of being the first U.S.-born bishop of Rome.
“I will acknowledge that for myself, as well as for the people of the United States… that there is great significance in being the first American pope,” Leo said.
He also outlined his favorite aspects of the U.S., including a sense of freedom and opportunity for generations of migrants, including his ancestors, some of whom were enslaved.
“We have people who were both slaves and slave owners.”
“I come from a family [where] my grandparents were immigrants on my motherʼs side,” the pope said. “There’s a history, if you will, of growing up in the kind of experience that helps me recognize myself, one of the greatest wealths of the United States.”
Addressing the likelihood of a future visit to the U.S., Leo explained that the Vatican was considering the timing of such a visit.
“Today we were looking at the calendar for the next couple of years. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I certainly hope to be there soon,” Leo said.
The pontiff briefly returned to Castel Gandolfo on July 29 for the “Canticle of Peace” after recently concluding his vacation there from July 5–27 and returning to the Vatican.
‘Canticle of Peace’: Leo XIV presents the beauty of music as a path to God
Pope Leo XIV stated Wednesday that “the beauty of music invites us to encounter the One who is beauty itself” during the “Canticle of Peace” prayer and fraternal gathering held at Castel Gandolfo’s Borgo Laudato Si’ gardens.
Leo XIV also prayed for peace to reign “in all those places in the world that continue to suffer from violence.
The gathering, organized by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF), took place as part of the celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
Addressing the young members of the ABF Voices Of choir who came from Uganda, the Holy Land, and Italy, Leo XIV assured them: “Know also that the Holy Father loves you and prays for you, for your families, and for your countries.”
After listening to the performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli and the choir, the pope thanked them for the effort put into preparing the recital and congratulated their conductors, noting that “music has the extraordinary capacity to bring different voices together in unison, where each contributes something unique to the whole.”
“In this sense, the choir becomes an ideal symbol of harmony and cooperation,” he added.
In his message, Leo XIV noted the significance of the fact that sacred Scripture and the Church’s liturgy speak of “choirs of angels and saints” when describing the joy of heaven.
This does not mean, he explained, that they are “literally singing all the time” but rather that, “united in love, they contemplate God together and find the fullness of happiness in him.”
The Holy Father then invited the young people to reflect on what had taken place during their performance: “As you sang, did you notice how music drew all of us into a new experience — something greater than anything any one of us could have created alone?”
“This is the experience of beauty. It opens up a new horizon before us and awakens within us the desire to move towards it,” he continued.
The pope explained that “when we journey toward that horizon, we do not simply discover something, but Someone. We encounter God, our Creator.”
Leo XIV encouraged the young people to continue cultivating the gifts God has bestowed upon them and to allow those talents to lead them to him, for “he is all we seek in life, the only one who can calm our restless hearts.”
The pontiff also reminded them that “you were made for great things and that the whole world is not enough to satisfy your thirst for meaning and happiness.”
Before concluding, Leo XIV thanked the Andrea Bocelli Foundation for its work on behalf of young people facing educational and social disadvantages, and highlighted that “through the power of music, you are contributing to the Church’s mission of promoting the integral development of every human person in service of the common good. May God bless your efforts.”
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.
Archbishop Wenski meets lawmakers to gain support for Haitian migrants amid deportation fears
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski traveled to Washington, D.C., on July 28 to advocate on behalf of Haitian migrants who fear they will soon be targets of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Wenski’s meetings with lawmakers came one day after the expiration of the automatic work‑permit extension under temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians. The Supreme Court ruled last month that the administration has the authority to terminate TPS, which ended their work authorization and could subject them to deportation orders.
“Haiti is a house on fire,” Wenski told “EWTN News Nightly” Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales before entering the office of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia.
The archbishop said TPS expiration and possible deportation of hundreds of thousands of Haitians is bad for the migrants — who would be sent back to an unstable country — and for the American communities in which the migrants live and work. About 353,000 Haitian nationals hold TPS status in the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“To think that we can send 350,000 people back to Haiti without that having very bad consequences in Haiti — but also here because these people are working, they’re not on the dole, they’re working, and if they’re removed from their jobs, if they lose their work permits, that’s going to have a negative economic impact on the communities in which they live,” Wenski said.
As Haitian TPS status ends, some lawmakers have introduced bills to compel the DHS to extend the status. In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians for three more years. No legislative efforts have gained traction in the Senate.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has advocated strongly on behalf of Haitian migrants, asking the Trump administration and lawmakers to extend TPS. About two-thirds of Haiti is Catholic.
Chieko Noguchi, spokeswoman for the USCCB, told EWTN News that Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, USCCB Committee on Migration chair, “has encouraged his brother bishops across the country to engage with their elected officials” on Haitian TPS status and broader immigration reform efforts.
“As pastors committed to upholding the common good, the bishops are actively engaging in this dialogue and continue to be grateful for the opportunity to do so, which they acknowledged in their special message last November,” she said.
In November 2025, the USCCB adopted a message in a 216-5 vote that opposed the “indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and policies that revoke the legal status of migrants, such as the terminations of TPS for various groups of migrants.
Kaine, an advocate for extending TPS, told EWTN News after meeting with Wenski that he was glad “to discuss the critical need for Congress to do what is right and protect TPS holders who have been in the U.S. legally for years” and looks forward to working with the USCCB to advocate for TPS holders.
TPS holders “have made countless contributions in important sectors such as healthcare and construction, and developed deep roots in our communities through their U.S. citizen families and businesses,” he added. “Many TPS holders, such as those from Haiti, should not be forced to return to the extremely dangerous conditions that made them seek safety in the United States.”
Status of Haitian migrants
On July 27, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin reposted a DHS post on X, which said “temporary protected status is exactly that — TEMPORARY” and urged anyone whose TPS has expired to self-deport out of the U.S.
“For those with terminated TPS: it’s closing time,” the post read. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
When asked whether DHS intends to specifically target Haitians for deportation amid the TPS expiration, a spokesperson told EWTN News that the department “does not discuss ongoing or future operations” but is conducting law enforcement activities daily.
“For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent,” the spokesperson said.
Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and a resident fellow in law and policy for the Center for Immigration Studies, told EWTN News that TPS was initially approved for Haiti in 2010 after a devastating earthquake.
Although Haiti continues to face serious safety and political stability concerns, he said the effects of the earthquake no longer impact the country. He noted that Haitians can apply for permanent status under other programs, such as if they are eligible for asylum, but that TPS is not a permanent resettlement program.
Arthur said Haitians who are in the U.S. under temporary legal status “had the opportunity to work in the United States and make money” and learn skills, which they can take back “to Haiti and [it can] help them make Haiti a better country.”
The former judge said he expects immigration enforcement toward Haitians to be part of “the larger enforcement efforts” rather than a targeted campaign against Haitians, with a priority toward people who have been convicted of crimes.
“The response [now] is foreign aid on the part of the United States and aid from the Catholic Church toward making Haiti a better place,” Arthur said.
TPS status for Syrian migrants also ended on July 27. El Salvador’s TPS designation is set to expire Sept. 9.
Brownsville, Texas, bishop addresses plight of nun, others like her facing deportation
While he is thankful and relieved that Sister Leticia Ugboaja will be able to remain serving in the Rio Grande Valley as her immigration case continues, Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, Bishop Daniel Flores said July 29 that the outcome of her situation is still “an open question,” as it is for many others in similar circumstances.
The Texas bishop, who also serves as vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), released a statement following Ugboaja’s July 28 ICE check-in, at which she was informed third-country removal was not off the table.
“We are grateful to God for Tuesday’s news that Sister Leticia ‘Letty’ Ugboaja will be able remain in our community while her case is allowed to move forward,” Flores said. While the Church feels “some relief” at the moment, he added, “we also remember that it is important to continue praying for and accompanying the many individuals and families who live in fear and anxiety as they seek a way to resolve their immigration status.”
“The prospect of deportation to a third country frightens many persons who, like Sister Letty, have violated no laws, and who have been granted permission to stay while conditions in their country of origin remain life-threatening,” Flores said.
Flores recalled the special message the USCCB issued in November 2025 in which the bishops urged meaningful immigration reform. “We can be a nation of both respect for law and of well-considered compassion for persons at risk in their own countries,” Flores pointed out, calling for political consensus that “defends the common good, protects the vulnerable, and treats all persons whose immigration status is being reviewed with humanity.”
“May God guide us in building a society reflecting both justice and mercy,” he emphasized.
Status of Sister Letty
On July 28, Ugboaja’s attorney, Carlos Garcia, told reporters gathered outside the ICE field office where her check-in took place that the possibility of third-country removal “is very concerning for us ... That is obviously not what we want. And that’s why we are exploring all our legal alternatives.”
Ugboaja, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and a registered nurse at South Texas Health System, was detained by two ICE agents on Sunday, June 28, as she walked to Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, where she serves as a Eucharistic minister.
She was released the same day after the intervention of several political leaders.
At a press conference last week, Garcia said an immigration judge denied Ugboaja’s application for asylum in 2019 but did grant her protection from removal to Nigeria under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, finding it was likely she would be tortured if she returned there.
Garcia said this protection legally bars the U.S. government from deporting her to Nigeria, though she remains under a final order of removal and could be sent to a third country.
After Ugboaja’s July 28 check-in, her attorney expressed gratitude that the nun, who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades and has never missed an immigration appointment, was not detained and not required to wear an ankle monitor, possibilities he had discussed last week. The nun has another check-in scheduled for Jan. 28, 2027.
UK’s Burnham says assisted dying debate must follow fixes to palliative care
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said debates on assisted suicide should be delayed until the country’s palliative and social care systems have been reformed.
"Personally, I think thereʼs something that needs to happen first, and thatʼs the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. "I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”
Burnham spoke with reporters after outlining his social‑care reform plans at Jewish Care in Golders Green, a northwest London suburb. Burnham, a Catholic, praised the facility for its “model of community” and the Jewish values that shape its care in a July 29 op-ed following the speech.
“They understand that care means treating people not as the sum of their different ailments, but as a human being with history and character, deserving of all the dignity and respect that comes with that,” he wrote. “Building a stronger care system and building a stronger country begin with the same belief: that every person belongs, that every community matters, and that no one should ever be made to feel like a stranger in the place they call home.”
Burnham said England must urgently fix social care, which supports people with daily living needs. The U.K.’s publicly funded national health system cannot recover without it, Burnham said.
Burnham’s speech came after the House of Commons passed the end-of-life bill, but the measure did not advance in the House of Lords. The bill will be debated again in the next parliamentary session.
U.S. bishops’ solidarity fund backs pope’s call for unity with Church in Africa
The U.S. bishops’ Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa is advancing Pope Leo XIV’s call for deeper unity by funding bicycles that help Marianist sisters reach remote villages in the Central African Republic.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has distributed 97 grants, including the bicycle project, totaling more than $3 million in 2025 through its Africa Solidarity Fund, according to a July 21 press release. The fund also supports programs in Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and throughout the Horn of Africa.
Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, chair of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Church in Africa, said in a statement: “The gifts of Catholics in the United States to the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa underwrite projects that build foundations for peace, as well as projects directed toward evangelization, vocations, environmental stewardship, leadership formation, and other facets of our faith.”
Bicycle ministry opens access to rural areas
One grant enabled the Marianist sisters to train “Gospel volunteers” and equip them with bicycles to distribute Bibles and rosaries, the USCCB statement said. Sister Amala Francis of the Society of Daughters of Mary Immaculate in the Central African Republic said the bicycle project proved highly valuable for young people, especially in rural communities where travel had previously been impossible.
“We crossed the river and preached the Word of God to the unreached places,” she said.
The sisters’ ministry includes the villages of Beagua, Cattin, and Samba, along with St. Philomena School, St. Abraham Parish, and St. Matthew Parish, all located in the rural southwest of the Central African Republic near the border with Cameroon and along the Lobaye River.
Francis described the bicycle project as a “very fruitful time,” noting that 30 sisters were provided with bicycles and carried out their ministry by “going out and distributing Mass pamphlet reflections and then going into schools and ministering.”
Francis said the sisters did not seek to teach merely the catechism in schools but to “bring peace” through the teachings of Jesus through “simple songs” and activities. They also visited families and communities on their bicycles.
Francis shared that another sister told her: “When I drive the bicycle, I see something different, I feel that Christ is coming with me. I feel that I drive this bicycle not just for reaching the place, but I am bringing Christ to the families.”
Confronting wounds of abuse
Francis said she encountered many troubling trends among young people throughout the project, with 400 to 600 children who have not gone to school because they lacked basic services and spent much of their time idle, since neither nongovernmental organizations nor church workers could reach the area because of the river and dense forest.
“I observed during this project,” she said, “the youth are not knowing about Christ because young girls are carrying [children from] sexual abuse and early pregnancy.”
“Many girls are traumatized with their life. They are traumatized because I see that they are youth not formed in the right path,” she said. “So, we have many programs to help guide the youth on the right path.”
Women as ‘messengers’
The sisters have continued to follow up on their efforts funded through the USCCB’s grant and have continued to find ways to boost education and evangelization in the region.
“Since education is very poor in Central African Republic,” Francis said, “and we wanted to give more, we started our English school [and] we get a lot of books for that for the children and are teaching English, so now the children are also learning different languages.”
In addition to young people, Francis emphasized the sisters’ efforts to reach women in remote communities, whom she described as “messengers” who “change the mind of the family.”
“Mothers are also important,” she said. “So we are touching the heart of the youth, women, and the children.”
Peru’s new president pledges to acknowledge Church’s importance
On July 28, Peru’s new president, Keiko Fujimori, took an oath acknowledging “the importance of the Catholic Church in the cultural and moral formation of Peru” and announced a policy to improve the quality of life for Peruvians “from womb to tomb.”
Fujimori — elected in a tight race that required a runoff — took office during a formal session of the country’s Congress, where she received the presidential sash for the 2026–2031 term. She is the first woman elected by popular vote to lead the country.
The ceremony was attended by officials from various countries, including King Felipe VI of Spain and Presidents Javier Milei of Argentina, Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia, José Antonio Kast of Chile, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, Santiago Peña of Paraguay, Yamandú Orsi of Uruguay, José Raúl Mulino of Panama, and Nasry Asfura of Honduras.
“I, Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi, swear by God, the homeland, and the holy Gospels to faithfully discharge the office of president of the republic that the nation has entrusted to me for the 2026–2031 term,” she said upon taking her oath of office.
The leader then swore to defend “this land, national sovereignty, liberty, democracy, and the independence of the branches of government” as well as to uphold and enforce the constitution and laws of Peru.
“I swear that I will safeguard the physical and moral well-being of all Peruvians, especially those who have been historically marginalized,” she continued.
Upon concluding her oath, Fujimori made specific reference to the Church: “I swear that, while respecting freedom of worship, I will recognize the importance of the Catholic Church in the cultural and moral formation of Peru, and I will work tirelessly for a safe, prosperous, and united country.”
The Peruvian constitution in Article 116 requires the president to take an oath of office but does not specify a particular formula, although some wording is traditional.
At the beginning of her first address to the nation, Fujimori said she was taking office with “profound humility” and “with a heart full of faith in the destiny of our homeland.”
“I thank God and place in his hands the work we begin today in the service of Peru,” she stated.
The new president asked God for “wisdom in making decisions, strength to persevere,” and for help “never to forget that power only finds meaning when exercised to serve.”
Fujimori noted that she had sworn before God, “before history, and before all of you,” “the most sacred oath a citizen can take”: to defend the constitution, protect freedoms, and dedicate every day to the well-being of the country.
Improving life ‘from womb to tomb’
In presenting her administrationʼs priorities, Fujimori announced that one of her goals for the nation will be “to improve the quality of life for all Peruvians, from womb to tomb.”
To this end, she pledged to adopt “a policy of comprehensive protection for early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and the family.”
“We will reorganize the social programs and public services that are currently fragmented in order to build a genuinely comprehensive protection system with universal coverage and continuous care at every stage of life,” she stated.
“Protecting our children and strengthening their families means protecting Peru’s future,” she noted.
Poverty, security, and freedom of expression
The leader described the state in which she is inheriting the country as “complex and painful,” marked by corruption, insecurity, healthcare deficiencies, and deep social divides.
Fujimori noted that three out of every 10 Peruvians lack the certainty of having necessary food on a daily basis and that 35% of children between the ages of 6 months and 35 months suffer from anemia, a situation she called “truly immoral.”
Regarding security, she announced the strengthening of the police force, the temporary deployment of the armed forces during states of emergency, and prison reform to ensure that jails “return to being centers of confinement rather than operational hubs for organized crime.”
Her plans for the economy include raising the minimum living wage — the monthly minimum wage — to 1,300 soles (approximately $382).
Fujimori also reaffirmed her commitment to “absolute respect for the independence of the branches of government and for individual liberties, particularly freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”
In closing, she called on opposition political forces to build bridges of dialogue and urged them to think “of future generations, not the next elections.”
“There are not two different Perus; there is but one Peru — vibrant, multicultural, strong, and ancient — ready to stand tall,” she declared.
Cardinal Castillo calls for reconciliation with justice
Hours before the inauguration ceremony, the archbishop of Lima and primate of Peru, Cardinal Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, celebrated the traditional Mass and Te Deum at the Lima Cathedral marking the 205th anniversary of the nation’s independence.
During his homily, as reported by the ANDINA news agency, the cardinal urged the nation to overcome divisions through justice, solidarity, and the pursuit of the common good.
“Our God wants us to be in solidarity and to be just, not with a reconciliation that covers up the wrongs we have committed but rather a reconciliation that, clearly recognizing the injustices we have perpetrated, knows how to enact justice and make restitution to all those who have been harmed,” he stated.
Castillo warned that Peru is facing a “catastrophic” situation, not primarily due to economic indicators but because “the human condition and human dignity are in grave danger.”
In light of this reality, he called for the promotion of initiatives for reconciliation, peacemaking, and dialogue as well as a process of conversion aimed at rebuilding the country on the foundations of justice, solidarity, and the common good.
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.