Catholic accused of blasphemy dies in Pakistani custody
Pakistani Christians are mourning the death of a 61-year-old Catholic accused of blasphemy who died in custody after months of deteriorating health, renewing concerns over the treatment of vulnerable prisoners and the misuse of Pakistanʼs blasphemy laws.
Amir Peter, the younger brother of Capuchin Father Henry Paul, parish priest of St. Francis Church in Lahore, died July 1 after suffering severe medical complications while in judicial custody awaiting trial at Camp Jail in Lahore.
The father of three had been admitted to a hospital on the night of June 30 after his condition worsened.
Peter was arrested in July 2025 after a Muslim shopkeeper accused him of making derogatory remarks about the prophet Muhammad. He remained behind bars until his death, although his lawyers said medical experts had declared him mentally unfit to stand trial because of advanced dementia.
EWTN News contacted Peterʼs son, Tumaar Amir, who declined to comment.
More than 200 people attended Peterʼs funeral Mass on July 2, celebrated by Archbishop Khalid Rehmat of Lahore at St. Josephʼs Church.
“The whole Capuchin community and the Church are with Father Henry Paul and his family. We stand in solidarity with them,” said the newly appointed archbishop, who had returned to Lahore just a day earlier after receiving the pallium from Pope Leo XIV on June 29, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, at St. Peterʼs Basilica in Rome.
“We take pride in the fact that my brother didnʼt leave his Christian faith till the last moment,” Paul said.
According to Peterʼs legal team, his physical and mental health steadily deteriorated throughout his detention.
“He was falsely accused of blasphemy. We repeatedly highlighted his deteriorating physical and mental health and the urgent need for appropriate medical treatment. Regrettably, despite these efforts, he passed away before justice could be served,” Katherine Sapna, executive director of Christians' True Spirit, the legal aid organization representing Peter, told EWTN News.
“We mourn the loss of a man whose life was tragically cut short amid a flawed legal process. His serious medical condition was overlooked, and he was denied timely and adequate healthcare,” she said.
Sapna called on religious leaders, civil society organizations, and state institutions to work together to ensure that no one is deprived of dignity, due process, or essential medical care because of false accusations or social prejudice.
“The vulnerability of victims of the misused blasphemy laws is extreme. Mental illness offers no protection,” Samson Salamat, a Catholic and chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Religious Tolerance), told EWTN News after attending the funeral.
“The Punjab Institute of Mental Healthʼs medical board had already declared Peter unfit to stand trial. No one is safe from the misuse of these laws, not even a priestʼs brother. Instead of merely reacting to individual cases, Pakistan needs policy reforms. Otherwise, promises to protect religious minorities remain empty,” he said.
Concerns over the treatment of mentally ill prisoners
Human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over the treatment of prisoners with mental illnesses in Pakistan.
In its World Report 2024, Human Rights Watch said that limited awareness of mental health contributes to the abuse and neglect of prisoners with psychosocial disabilities. The report also noted that Pakistani prisons face a severe shortage of mental health professionals and routinely fail to provide adequate psychological care.
Peterʼs death comes months after another prominent Christian blasphemy defendant died shortly after regaining his freedom.
In October 2025, Pastor Zafar Bhatti, founder of the Pakistan-based Jesus World Mission Church, died of cardiac arrest at his home in Rawalpindi three days after his release from prison, where he had spent 13 years facing blasphemy charges.
Peter’s Pence collected more than $65.8 million for the pope’s mission in 2025
Peter’s Pence, the Holy See’s fund that gathers donations for the pope’s charitable works and the needs of the universal Church, closed 2025 with an income of 57.6 million euros ($65.8 million) and expenses of 59.8 million euros ($68.3 million).
The Vatican attributes the 2.2-million-euro ($2.5 million) deficit to currency exchange rate fluctuations, according to a report published June 30. In 2024, 58 million euros ($66.3 million) were raised.
The donations received total 54.5 million euros ($62.3 million) and came primarily from dioceses around the world (63.6%), followed by foundations, private donors, and religious institutes. The remaining 3.1 million euros came from other income, according to the Vatican.
Contributions from the United States (14.2 million euros, or $16.2 million) were particularly notable, followed by those from other countries such as Italy, Brazil, South Korea, Germany, France, and Spain.
Most donations are channeled through parish collections, direct donations including transfers and online methods, and inheritance legacies.
Of the total donations, 41.2 million euros ($47.1 million) were used to support the activities of the Holy See in the service of the Holy Fatherʼs apostolic mission, and 13.3 million euros ($15.2 million) went to projects providing direct assistance to people in need in 74 countries.
A total of 252 projects were funded, with a special focus on evangelization, humanitarian aid, and the strengthening of local churches in need.
The projects supported by the Holy See include educational and social initiatives as well as support for ecclesial communities, particularly in Africa and Asia.
Aid in Europe also includes scholarships for priests, seminarians, and religious from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, as well as humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine.
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.
Thankful for abortion pill reversal: ‘We are grateful someone answered’
More than 200 women banded together to advocate for access to abortion pill reversal in response to California officials targeting the practice.
In abortion pill reversal, a patient who no longer desires abortion takes the hormone progesterone to save the life of her child after she has taken the first chemical abortion pill. In recent years, abortion pill reversal awareness has been targeted in the states of California and Colorado.
In an open letter, 225 women who have been helped by the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN) expressed their gratitude for being able to access abortion pill reversal.
“The healthcare professionals who spoke with us, whether doctor, nurse, or staff, treated us with compassion and respect,” the letter read. “They provided information about a medical protocol that might help preserve our pregnancies.”
“We were free to accept or decline that care,” the letter continued. “We made our own choices.”
“We reached out because we wanted to know if there was any possibility of continuing our pregnancies after taking mifepristone,” the letter read. “We are grateful that someone answered.”
The women expressed disagreement with the idea that information about abortion pill reversal is harmful.
“Women facing difficult and time-sensitive decisions deserve access to information about all of their options,” the letter read.
The women were responding to allegations in a California lawsuit that abortion pill reversal aid was misleading, according to a press release by the pregnancy help center network Heartbeat International, which manages the APRN.
“More than 40 of those women are Californians, from the very state where Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking to silence Heartbeat International … and punish its speech about abortion pill reversal,” the press release read.
Abortion pill reversal is not always successful, though Heartbeat International says the success rate is 64%-68%.
“Some of us gave birth to children we cherish today. Others did not experience the outcome they hoped for,” the women wrote. “Yet regardless of the outcome, we are thankful that we were informed of an option and allowed to decide for ourselves.”
Shield laws allow hundreds of thousands of abortion pills to be sent to states that protect life
A recent report found that since 2023 nearly 330,000 abortion pills were shipped to states with laws that protect unborn children.
These shipments came from mail-order abortionists who are protected by shield laws in states such as New York and California.
The report, by the Restoration of America Foundation, estimates that “out-of-state abortionists send nearly 15,000 chemical abortion pills per month into states with pro-life laws,” according to the report shared with EWTN News.
The report calls on the Trump administration to “act swiftly and decisively.”
“If pro-life states have no power to protect their women and babies from rogue abortionists thousands of miles away, the situation they find themselves in is not better than before the Dobbs decision — itʼs worse,” the report read.
U.S. Senate to consider expansion of Mexico City Policy
The U.S. Senate is considering an expansion of the Mexico City Policy, which requires federally-funded aid organizations to refrain from promoting or providing abortions in order to receive federal aid.
The bill, if passed, would prevent U.S. foreign assistance from being used to fund or promote abortion as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as gender ideology.
“U.S. foreign assistance programs have been exploited as a loophole to promote far-left, radical ideology on the dime of American taxpayers for far too long,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, who introduced the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance Act.
Army captain sentenced for poisoning his pregnant girlfriend with abortion pill
An Army captain was sentenced to prison for poisoning his pregnant girlfriend with chemical abortion drugs.
Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his unborn child, along with other charges including domestic violence.
Jones-Adams obtained the chemical abortion drugs from an online provider by using a fake name. The unborn baby, who was 13 weeks old, did not survive the forced abortion.
1 in 3 pregnancies end in abortion in England and Wales
The lives of nearly 1 in 3 unborn babies end in abortion, according to recent statistics from England and Wales.
In 2023, a rate of 32.1% of conceptions ended in abortion in England and Wales. Abortion has been on a steady increase there since 2015, according to the statistics from the England and Wales Office for National Statistics.
“The rise in abortions since the pandemic has been linked to the availability of at-home abortions with the ‘pills by post’ scheme,” according to a report by CARE, a London-based Christian organization that aims to bring truth and grace into politics. “This allows women to receive medication to terminate a pregnancy up to 10 weeks after a phone or online consultation with a medical professional.”
Delaware Catholics battle abortion, celebrate wins
Delaware Catholics are opposing an abortion amendment; meanwhile, the state has made a legal agreement not to target pregnancy centers.
The Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network urged Catholics to oppose a recently proposed abortion bill that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
Meanwhile, Delaware officials agreed to a court order banning them from enforcing a law against pregnancy centers, settling a lawsuit brought by the centers.
Only 1 Planned Parenthood clinic to remain in Iowa
Planned Parenthood will shrink to a single clinic in Iowa at the end of this month, the organization announced earlier this week.
Planned Parenthood North Central States officials cited “declining and unstable funding streams” as well as a recent Trump administration move to defund the organization through the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program.
Priest explains how to read the Bible without getting lost in the process
Father Valentín Aparicio, vice rector of the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain and an expert in biblical archaeology, explained how to read the Bible “without getting lost in the process.”
Known as “Un cura de Toledo” (“A Priest from Toledo”) on social media — where he has thousands of followers — Aparicio shared his advice during an interview on the podcast “Se buscan rebeldes” (“Rebels Wanted”), hosted by fellow Spanish priest Ignacio Amorós.
During the conversation, Amorós defined the Bible as the “bestseller” that never goes out of style, a “fiery book that has changed history” and that tells the story of Godʼs love for humanity.
However, he also pointed out that many Catholics have difficulty understanding it and that some even become scandalized when reading certain passages of the Old Testament.
Considering this, Aparicio advised those who want to read and understand sacred Scripture: Start with the Gospel of Luke.
Reading this Gospel, which recounts the life of Jesus, followed by the Acts of the Apostles, helps one “gain a fairly clear and comprehensive idea of what the New Testament is.”
“There are times when we do not understand the Bible, but it’s because of the cultural gap that exists. We must remember that some parts of the Bible date back roughly to the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age,” Aparicio pointed out.
Due to that distance in time and culture “so immense and so wild,” in the words of the priest, “if someone doesnʼt take me by the hand, I donʼt know how to navigate it.” Because of this, he emphasized the importance of having guidance while reading and tools that facilitate understanding, such as those available on the internet.
The priest said his YouTube channel features a series of lessons in which he explains the chapters of Genesis.
He emphasized that reading the Bible is not merely about “stringing words together” but about discovering “what God wants to tell you there.”
He drew a comparison with cinema: “What makes a movie good or bad?” he asked. “If a movie is simply a collection of film frames, you end up bored, because you can’t put up with two hours of watching frames. You need a plot, a narrative, a common thread that connects all the frames.”
In his view, the same holds true for the Bible. Its various books are not isolated accounts but rather form part of a single story with profound internal unity. That unity, he explained, is defined by the Hebrew concept of “berit,” or covenant: God’s desire to establish a covenant of love with every human being.
“In the Book of Genesis, the first book, God begins by creating the world; and in the Book of Revelation, the last book, he culminates with a new creation, restoring his plan and returning us to the paradise we had lost. Throughout the entire Bible, we witness the reclaiming of that lost paradise,” he explained.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
How the American Revolution changed the future of Catholics in America
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the nation’s founding offers a reminder that one of the beneficiaries of the American Revolution was a religious minority once viewed with deep suspicion: Catholics.
Long before the First Amendment guaranteed the free exercise of religion, in many of Britain’s American colonies, Catholics were barred from holding public office, restricted from voting, and often prohibited from openly practicing their faith. Anti-Catholic laws, rooted in centuries of conflict between England and the Catholic Church, left many Catholics viewed with suspicion, their loyalty questioned simply because of their faith.
Yet within a generation, a Catholic priest would become the first bishop of the United States, a Catholic would sign the Declaration of Independence, and the nation’s first president would push Congress to officially recognize and authorize Catholic and Protestant chaplains.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, historians say the American Revolution marked a dramatic turning point for religious liberty — especially for Catholics.
Washington’s push for chaplains
When Gen. George Washington assumed command of the Continental Army in 1775, the colonies were religiously diverse but overwhelmingly Protestant. Nevertheless, Washington understood that faith was essential to the lives of the soldiers under his command.
At his urging, the Continental Congress voted on July 29, 1775, to appoint a chaplain for every regiment in the Continental Army.
The measure was practical. Chaplains preached, celebrated worship services, comforted the wounded, buried the dead, and reminded soldiers of the moral principles for which they fought.
But it also represented something larger.
For perhaps the first time in American history, the revolutionary government acknowledged that citizens serving their country should not have to abandon their religious convictions.
Although nearly all of the early chaplains were Protestant ministers, the principle established by Congress — that the government should accommodate the religious lives of its soldiers rather than suppress them — set an important precedent for religious freedom.
Father John Carroll and a new place for Catholics
Born in Maryland in 1735, John Carroll belonged to one of the few Catholic families that had managed to flourish despite legal restrictions.
Unable to receive a Catholic education in the colonies, he studied in Europe with the Jesuits before returning home as a priest.
In 1776, the Continental Congress asked Carroll to accompany Benjamin Franklin, Charles Carroll — John Carroll’s cousin — and Samuel Chase on a diplomatic mission to Canada.
His presence was deliberate.
Congress recognized that a Catholic priest could help build trust among French-Canadian Catholics and demonstrate that the American Revolution was not a Protestant movement hostile to the Catholic faith.
Although the mission ultimately failed to persuade Canada to join the Revolution, it sent an important message: Catholics had a place in the American experiment.
Catholics prove their loyalty
The Revolution gave Catholics the opportunity to challenge long-held prejudices against them.
Many colonial Protestants had inherited generations of anti-Catholic sentiment from England. Catholics were often portrayed as politically unreliable because of their allegiance to the pope.
The Revolution, however, forced Americans to reconsider those assumptions.
The patriot cause depended upon an alliance with Catholic France. The Continental Congress sought support from the largely Catholic population of Quebec. And American Catholics demonstrated that they, too, were committed to independence.
One of the clearest examples was Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.
A wealthy Maryland planter, Charles Carroll had long faced legal restrictions because of his faith, including limits on holding public office under British rule. By affixing his name to the Declaration, he risked both his considerable fortune and his life in support of the patriot cause.
Charles Carroll’s signature became a powerful answer to those who questioned whether Catholics could be loyal citizens of the new republic, demonstrating that devotion to the Catholic faith and commitment to American independence could go hand in hand.
Washington’s vision of religious liberty
Washington’s commitment to religious liberty became even clearer after the Revolution.
Writing in 1790 to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, Washington rejected the idea that religious minorities merely deserved tolerance. Instead, he wrote that the government of the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
Those words represented a profound departure from the European model, where governments often granted limited tolerance while still favoring one established religion.
Washington envisioned something different: equal protection for citizens regardless of their faith.
For Catholics, whose ancestors had endured generations of legal discrimination under British rule, the promise carried enormous significance.
Carroll becomes first American bishop
That same spirit shaped the future of the Catholic Church in the United States.
In 1789, Pope Pius VI appointed Father John Carroll the first bishop of the United States.
Rather than viewing American democracy with suspicion, Carroll embraced the opportunities offered by constitutional protections for religious liberty.
He established Georgetown College, promoted Catholic education, encouraged the formation of parishes, and urged Catholics to become active participants in civic life.
Carroll believed the Church could flourish precisely because the government neither established nor persecuted religion.
His confidence proved well-founded.
Within decades, the Catholic Church would grow from a tiny and often mistrusted minority into one of the nation’s largest religious communities.
A legacy for the next 250 years
The American Revolution did not eliminate anti-Catholic prejudice overnight. Catholics continued to face discrimination well into the 19th century.
Yet the Revolution fundamentally changed their legal status.
The same nation that had once inherited England’s suspicion of Catholics gradually embraced the principle that citizenship did not depend upon religious affiliation.
Washington’s support for military chaplains, his rejection of religious prejudice, and his vision of equal liberty helped lay that foundation. Bishop John Carroll, in turn, demonstrated that Catholics could faithfully serve both the Church and the new republic.
Together, their stories remind Americans that religious freedom was not simply one of the nation’s founding ideals — it became one of its greatest achievements.
Nicaraguan dictatorship detains Bishop Abelardo Mata again
Nicaraguan police detained Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata again on June 30, just one day after his initial detention and subsequent release on June 29. The 80-year-old prelate is reportedly now under house arrest.
Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, was arrested at a clinic where he had gone for a checkup for his pacemaker. This occurred the day after he celebrated a Mass in which he prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua, an act that may have provoked the ire of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
Following the new detention, the bishop is reportedly under house arrest at his home in the town of Tisma, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.
In addition to the bishop, Father Francisco Morales, pastor of Calvary’s Cross Church in Estelí, where Mata celebrated Mass on June 28, and Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez were also detained. Both were released but remain subject to conditions.
“Bishop Mata holds no administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Estelí but continues to assist that diocese with its pastoral needs. He thus went to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the request of the parish priest. However, the Sandinista dictatorship has forbidden him from being in the department of Estelí,” Martha Patricia Molina explained on July 2 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. She is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against Catholics since 2018.
Molina further highlighted that “the Diocese of Estelí has always been a target of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship due to the hatred the dictatorial couple harbors toward Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, the apostolic administrator. Although Álvarez is not voicing opinions, the dictatorship views him as a constant focus of their attention.”
Álvarez, apostolic administrator of Estelí since 2021, following Mata’s resignation, currently lives in Rome after being exiled in January 2024 while serving a 26-year prison sentence. The prelate was a consistent critic of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
Even though Álvarez is living in exile, Pope Francis confirmed him in his position as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí.
Molina also told ACI Prensa that the situation in Estelí “is being aggravated because Mata has been critical of the arbitrary actions committed by the Sandinista dictatorship. Currently, we only learn of 10% of the attacks committed against the Catholic Church because the rest go unreported due to the fear and caution priests and laypeople have about speaking out in the news media or on social media.”
The researcher noted that the number of reports could reach “400 a day” if Catholics were able to speak freely in public.
The ‘dire’ situation in Estelí
Molina noted that the dictatorship is now persecuting the Church in a different way: “They had stopped abducting priests, but now they have gone back to it; furthermore, there are cases of priests having to report to police stations to give statements, and also there’s the constant monitoring and harassment of priests across the countryʼs various dioceses by the police.”
The researcher pointed out that the Diocese of Estelí, “the one most persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship after Matagalpa,” is currently forced to “operate without [its bishop] and with only 42% of its clergy. This makes pastoral work difficult and places a heavier workload on the active priests.”
These priests must also take on “the duties of those who are in exile due to persecution, those who have passed away, or those who, for one reason or another, are not exercising their ministry in Nicaragua,” she pointed out.
“The situation is worsening because the Sandinista dictatorship has banned diaconal and priestly ordinations in that diocese,” she emphasized. Ordinations are also forbidden in Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Siuna. None of the four dioceses has its bishop present, as they have all been exiled from Nicaragua.
The need to be vigilant
“We have to remain vigilant regarding Bishop Mata because his health is fragile and requires professional care. What worries me is that the last individuals who have been under surveillance by the dictatorship or the police have ended up in worse condition or even dead,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 2.
A recent example of this situation is the case of Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner whom the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship held incommunicado for over 970 days. He passed away in late May at the age of 73, following several statements from the regime regarding his critical health condition.
“If the dictatorship’s actions are not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to bring about the death of Bishop Mata, as they harbor deep resentment toward this man of God because of his courage and clarity for many years,” McFields emphasized.
An exiled Nicaraguan priest who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals told ACI Prensa that the situation involving Mata “is sad, but it can also be viewed as a sign of the fear the dictatorship has of an elderly bishop, an 80-year-old (with health issues) because his presence as a shepherd strengthens the lives of the faithful,” ensuring that “the faith remains alive.”
The priest emphasized that he continues to prepare “our hearts for a future in which we can rebuild the Church in Nicaragua not only socially but also through faith because spiritual and pastoral reconstruction work must also be done.”
Call for release
Félix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, issued “an urgent call to the international community, human rights organizations, the world’s democracies, and all people of goodwill to remain vigilant, demand the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata and all arbitrarily detained members of the clergy, and firmly condemn this new escalation of repression.”
“Nicaragua cannot normalize a dictatorship imprisoning priests, silencing pulpits, and persecuting the faith. The moral voice of the Church has historically stood with the Nicaraguan people during their most difficult times, and that is precisely why the regime seeks to intimidate it,” Maradiaga told ACI Prensa.
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.
Wyoming Catholic College student wins Presidential 1776 Award
Incoming Wyoming Catholic College student Miriam Washut took home a $150,000 scholarship after winning first place in the first-ever Presidential 1776 Awards, a nationwide civics competition.
Washut, who is the daughter of Wyoming Catholic College President Kyle Washut, emerged triumphant from among 20 finalists and over 8,000 students from all 50 states and territories who entered the competition.
Washut, along with the second and third place winners, met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office July 1 alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
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McMahon said the award “recognizes students who have demonstrated a deep understanding of America’s founding principles and enthusiasm for learning America’s story. What better way to celebrate 250 years of this great nation than by honoring those who will carry us into the next 250!”
University of Mary launches graduate school of theology in Arizona
The University of Mary has announced it will open a graduate school of theology in Phoenix in the fall.
The satellite graduate school will offer a four-year master of divinity degree and a 36-credit master of arts in theology, taught in person at the Arizona Center, located across from St. Mary’s Basilica and the diocesan pastoral center, the university announced on June 30.
The university described the move as a further development of its “long-standing partnership with the Diocese of Phoenix and Nazareth Seminary,” and an expansion of its Arizona mission.
“What originally started as undergraduate formation for the seminarians of the diocese has blossomed into an academic program that now includes master’s-level work,” said Eric Westby, associate professor of theology at the university. “This formation will help students know their faith more deeply and be equipped to pass it on in a variety of settings,” he added.
Benedictine College to open Independence Hall-themed library
Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, will hold a soft-launch opening of its new library, built to resemble Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on July 4.
The interior of the new library includes an exact replica of Independence Hall’s historic Assembly Room, where America’s Declaration of Independence was debated and signed. The Assembly Room will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon, the college said in a press release. Visitors to the library, which is in the final stages of construction, will also be able to view a replica of the Liberty Bell.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to view a collection of historic documents through an exhibit titled “Celebrating the American Experiment.”
“Thirty-nine documents trace the story of the American founding and its origins in centuries of Western political thought,” the exhibit page states. “Among them are works by Aristotle, Cicero, John Locke, and Algernon Sidney, as well as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and a rare 1788 printing of the Constitution of the United States, one of only five known copies in existence.”
DeSantis blocks funding for security improvements at Catholic schools
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have allocated $15 million in state funding for security improvements at Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County. The veto came after the Florida Legislature passed the bill on May 29.
The Archdiocese of Miami expressed its disappointment with the veto and thanked lawmakers for their efforts to pass legislation to protect its more than 37,000 students.
“Security enhancements are not a luxury; they are an essential component of providing safe environments where students can learn and thrive,” the Archdiocese of Miami said in a June 29 statement. The archdiocese noted that it does not receive any funding to offset security costs, despite other privately-run public charter schools in the state receiving government aid.
Filipino bishop decries government corruption as ‘grave sin’
Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, Philippines, spoke out against government corruption during a June 28 rally at the People Power Monument in Manila.
“We cannot remain silent while funds meant for the poor are being stolen. We cannot remain silent while the people’s treasury is being turned into the personal wealth of a few. We cannot remain silent while corruption continues to destroy the future of our children,” Bagaforo said at the White Ribbon March on Sunday, according to Licas News.
The chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Commission on Interreligious Dialogue further condemned corruption as “a grave sin of theft and betrayal of the people.”
Bagaforo’s remarks come in the wake of a corruption scandal last year involving infrastructure projects worth an estimated $2 billion.
Catholic anti-trafficking leaders meet in Thailand
The sixth international Talitha Kum Leadership Training Course conference drew 30 Catholic anti-trafficking leaders from 23 countries to the Sam Phran District in Thailand this past week.
During the seven-day conference, Talitha Kum Thailand delivered a presentation on education as a form of protection against human trafficking, according to a Licas News report on Monday.
Sister Marie-Agnes Suwanna Buasap, SPC, who was present at the first training course in Rome, announced a K–12 curriculum and textbook series called “Don’t Touch Me” aimed at raising vigilance among students and teachers to prevent trafficking cases.
“Preventing human trafficking begins in the classroom, from the heart of the teacher, and from the community of love and safety that the school provides,” said Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand.
Australian bishops call on Catholics to pray for work on the sea
The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on Catholics to pray for mariners ahead of Sea Sunday on July 12.
“Sea Sunday is a time when we reflect on the lives and the work of all the seafarers of our world,” Father Tony Cox, SSC, the national director of Stella Maris Australia, said in a press release Wednesday. Cox described mariners as living on the margins of society, recalling how they were unable to set foot on dry land for over a year and a half during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he said, they must face the war-torn Strait of Hormuz.
“One visiting seafarer said to me: ‘People do not see us and because of our invisibility they think we are not human. They do not see what we do and forget that we too have needs,’” Cox said.
Cambodia school takes name of Buddhist and Catholic leaders
A Buddhist primary school for monks in southern Cambodia has adopted the names of Buddhist and Catholic religious leaders in a display of unity between the faith communities.
The “Chomroen Olivier” school was inaugurated June 25 and combines the names of Venerable Nget Chomroeun, the Buddhist abbot of Ang Montrey Pagoda, and Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, according to a report from Fides News Agency.
Schmitthaeusler hailed the school as "a beautiful, concrete, and living sign of collaboration between the pagoda and the Catholic Church.”
Maronite, Armenian Catholic leaders meet with Pope Leo
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai and Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian shared updates about the faithful in their respective countries with Pope Leo XIV during a meeting Tuesday.
Al-Rai told Leo a new phase of dialogue for peace began after the pope’s trip to Cedar, and they emphasized the need for continued dialogue and national unity at a fragile moment for Lebanon, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported.
Minassian and Leo discussed the witness of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the current state of the Armenian Catholic Church.
Irish government proposes abortion leave after removing reflection period
The Republic of Ireland’s government is considering proposals to provide paid leave for women who lose a baby before 23 weeks, including those who have an abortion.
The news comes after the Irish government voted to remove the three-day wait period for pregnant women considering an abortion of their unborn baby.
Eilís Mulroy of the Pro-life Campaign said that the government had its priorities in the wrong order. “After the way they voted recently to abolish the three-day reflection period prior to an abortion, senior members of government like Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are now, in effect, saying to women: ‘We recognize the grief and trauma you might experience after an abortion, so we believe youʼre entitled to five days' leave. However, we voted to abolish the three-day reflection period before an abortion despite the fact that it could potentially safeguard you from finding yourself in that awful situation in the first place,’” he said, adding: “The position these politicians are adopting makes absolutely no sense.”
Priest who developed video evangelization program named bishop of Arundel and Brighton
Father Stephen Wang has been appointed as the new Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, England, replacing Archbishop Richard Moth, who was recently appointed as the archbishop of Westminster.
Wang described the appointment as “a huge surprise,” adding: “I’m grateful to Pope Leo for calling me and putting his trust in me, and to Archbishop Moth for his care for the diocese over these years.”
The bishop-elect has spent the last five years as rector of the Venerable English College, one of two English and Welsh seminaries in Rome, training men for the priesthood.
Wang, whose appointment has been widely welcomed, is renowned for having developed “Sycamore,” a video-based Catholic evangelization program that explores the Catholic faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make the faith more accessible, “Sycamore” is now widely used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world.
German bishops welcome apostolic nuncio from Kenya
Members of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have welcomed the former apostolic nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, pledging their collaboration in the Vatican diplomat’s new apostolic mission.
“We are delighted by your arrival in our country and wish you God’s abundant blessings for your new task,” GCBC Vice President Bishop Michael Gerber of the Diocese of Fulda said, according to a report from ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Tuesday.
Pope Leo XIV transferred van Megen, who served as the apostolic nuncio in Kenya for seven years, on April 9 to Germany after Archbishop Nikola Eterović resigned upon reaching the canonical age limit.
Cameroon diocese announces release of kidnapped priest, religious brothers
NKONGSAMBA, Cameroon — Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Nkongsamba has announced the safe release of a priest and two members of the Fraternity of Franciscans of Emmanuel (FFE) who were reportedly abducted in the country’s North-West Region.
In the letter that the diocesan chancellor, Abbé Luc Roger Dodo, issued on July 1, the diocese gave thanks to God for the release of Father John Bosco Bihkong and Brothers Sylvester Sewong and Marie Rodrigue, who were kidnapped on Saturday night, June 27.
“Thank you to everyone for your prayers and expressions of support, which have borne fruit,” Dodo said in the letter, quoting the psalmist: "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”
In a statement issued June 30, the vicar general of the diocese announced the kidnapping of the three men.
According to Father Joseph Tchinda Dountio, Bihkong had traveled to his native village of Melim, near Ndop in the North-West Region of Cameroon, to celebrate his first Mass on Friday, June 26.
He was accompanied by Brother Sylvester Sewong, guardian of the FFE convent in Kékem, and Brother Marie Rodrigue Sop, who is preparing for a perpetual profession. The three were abducted the following night.
No details were provided regarding the identity of the kidnappers, their motives, or whether contact had been established with the abductors.
Cameroonʼs North-West Region is one of the two English-speaking regions that have experienced years of insecurity linked to the countryʼs Anglophone crisis.
Clergy, women and men religious, and other civilians have periodically been targeted in abductions as violence persists in the region.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
2 SSPX bishops hold dubious distinction of being excommunicated twice
Two bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) — Spaniard Alfonso de Galarreta and Swiss Bernard Fellay — incurred automatic excommunication by committing the canonical offense of schism following the ordination of four bishops without the permission of Pope Leo XIV.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 2 declared that the SSPX is in a state of schism following the ordinations.
With this Vatican decision, Galarreta and Fellay represent a unique case: They have each been excommunicated twice.
Against the will of St. John Paul II, both were consecrated bishops in 1988 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the SSPX, thereby incurring the penalty of schism and excommunication. Pope Benedict XVI pardoned them in 2009.
Fellay entered the Écône, Switzerland, seminary in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1982. After serving as the societyʼs bursar general, he was elected superior of the SSPX in 1994, a position he held until 2012.
During his tenure, a certain rapprochement took place between the SSPX and the Vatican, leading to Pope Benedict XVIʼs decision to lift the excommunication in January 2009.
However, this decision did not eliminate the illegitimacy of his ministry, as the Bavarian pontiff explained in a letter published in March of the same year.
De Galarreta was born in Torrelavega, Spain, and his family emigrated to Argentina, where he entered the La Plata seminary in 1975. Rejecting the reforms driven by the Second Vatican Council, he decided to transfer to the Écône seminary in 1978.
Lefebvre ordained him a priest in Buenos Aires in 1980. Five years later, de Galarreta assumed the role of superior of the fraternityʼs South American district.
He was subsequently assigned as superior of the Autonomous House in Spain and served as the director of the Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Seminary in La Reja, Argentina.
Following the 2018 election of Father Davide Pagliarani as superior of the SSPX, Galarreta was promoted to first assistant general of the society.
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.