Christians must defend themselves amid rising persecution, Nigerian prelate says
ABUJA, Nigeria — The judicial vicar of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Port Harcourt has urged Christians in the West African nation to adopt a balanced approach of nonviolence while taking necessary steps to defend themselves in the face of growing persecution.
In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, following the resurgence of violence in Nigeria, Monsignor Pius Barinaadaa Kii stated that although Christianity promotes peace, believers must not ignore the need to protect their lives.
“Christian persecution in Nigeria is real. It is more pronounced in some parts of the country than others,” he said during the May 4 interview.
He added: “Even though we adopt a nonviolent posture, we also have a necessary obligation to defend our lives and to defend ourselves to any extent that we can.”
Addressing concerns about insecurity and targeted attacks on Christians, Kii reiterated the Church’s long-standing commitment to peace while clarifying that this does not preclude self-defense.
He made reference to the teachings of Jesus Christ, explaining that while Christ advocated nonviolence, there were moments when he acknowledged the need for defense.
“Our Lord was a nonviolent person, because violence always begets violence,” he said.
He however pointed to a biblical moment involving Peter to underscore his argument, saying: “There was a moment in the life of Christ when he told Peter, ‘Sheath your sword, the moment will come when you will need it.’”
The Nigerian priest emphasized that Christians must remain vigilant and responsible in safeguarding their lives, especially in regions where attacks have become frequent.
Kii also addressed Nigeria’s current economic challenges, acknowledging the hardship faced by citizens while expressing cautious optimism about ongoing reforms.
He urged Nigerians to remain patient and forward-looking despite the difficulties.
“Nigeria has been in a situation for a very long time,” he noted, adding that while reforms are “very biting,” they are necessary steps toward long-term stability.
“The president himself said it will not be easy, but we should prepare for a rough ride so that we have a smoother ride tomorrow,” he said.
A canon lawyer, Kii expressed hope that the economic measures being implemented would eventually yield positive outcomes, likening the expected turnaround to the joy of Easter following the sorrow of Good Friday.
“We hope and pray that all the reforms will be quick for us at Easter in this country tomorrow,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s political future, particularly the 2027 general elections, Kii called for trust in divine providence and a renewed sense of faith among citizens. He urged Nigerians not to lose hope, emphasizing that God remains in control of the nation’s destiny.
“God remains God on his own terms. Let God be God on his own terms,” he said.
Kii said faith in God’s plan is essential in navigating both political uncertainties and national challenges. He reassured Nigerians that the country is on a divinely guided path.
“God knows what he is doing in our country. God knows where he is taking our country to,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Synod report condemns ‘devastating effects’ of conversion therapies for homosexual persons
The Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod published Tuesday the testimonies of two men in civil marriages with other men who describe from personal experience the tensions and wounds that have marked their life of faith within the Church.
It is the first time a Vatican text has given voice to this group in such detail. One testimony is from a man in Portugal who said he suffered a deep wound when a spiritual director suggested he could have been married to a woman to “find peace” and “use my gifts,” minimizing the affective dimension of marriage.
The man said the suggestion was painful because “it was a suggestion to harm a woman by robbing her of the chance to be completely loved and desired, all to fulfill a social expectation.” From that point, he said, he began excluding his relationship and affective life from his prayer.
The Synod also published the testimony of a U.S. Catholic man in a civil marriage with another man, an immigrant, and active in parish life. “My sexuality isn’t a perversion, disorder, or cross; it’s a gift from God,” he wrote. “I have a happy, healthy marriage and am flourishing as an openly gay Catholic.”
Both testimonies are written in English and are published on the Synod website as annexes to the final report of Study Group 9, titled “Theological Criteria and Synodal Methodologies for Shared Discernment of Emerging Doctrinal, Pastoral, and Ethical Issues.”
The U.S. testimony recalls the author’s experience with Courage, a Catholic apostolate that supports people with same-sex attraction who seek to live chastely according to Church teaching. Pope Leo XIV received members of Courage at the Vatican on Feb. 6.
The man wrote that he went to the group at the suggestion of a conversion therapist he had met to deal with his “condition.” He added: “I tried in vain to date a Catholic woman, but our relationship failed when my family faced a crisis. The time had come to be honest with myself, God, and others.”
The 32-page report, published first in Italian and presented in English as a working translation, is not a definitive doctrinal proposal. Rather, it outlines a methodological shift and will now be presented to Pope Leo XIV for study.
Drawing from the testimonies, the Synod study group says the first account describes “the devastating effects of reparative therapies aimed at recovering heterosexuality” and “contradictory advice” such as suggestions to marry a woman in order to “find peace.”
The report proposes a new approach based on listening and dialogue for addressing “emerging doctrinal, pastoral, and ethical issues,” including the experience of “people of faith with same-sex attractions.”
The text is rooted in what it calls the “principle of pastorality,” which stresses that Christian proclamation must take account of concrete persons and their lived experience. It proposes a change in approach to some of the most delicate questions in the life of the Church.
The report does not seek to offer total solutions but to open a path of discernment. Instead of speaking of “controversial” issues, as the subject of the report was originally announced, it proposes calling them “emerging” issues, understood as experiences that prompt the Church to rethink how to live and transmit the Gospel in diverse contexts.
The document explicitly recognizes the difficulty of harmonizing doctrine and pastoral practice. It says testimonies received by the study group show “how arduous it is for individuals and Christian communities to reconcile ‘doctrinal firmness’ with ‘pastoral welcome.’” It adds that polarized positions often result in “profound suffering, personal lacerations, and experiences of marginalization or ‘double lives’” for believers with same-sex attraction.
In this context, the report proposes a method based on three steps within what it calls “conversation in the Spirit”: listening to ourselves, paying attention to reality, and summoning various forms of expertise.
The text says this dynamic of listening seeks to foster a synodal Church in which the people of God actively participate in discernment.
The report also stresses the importance of paying attention to those living on existential, social, and cultural “peripheries.” It cites other examples of “emerging issues,” including the rise of adult catechumens in some local Churches, which it says calls for rethinking pastoral structures.
In addition to the testimonies of two homosexual persons, Study Group 9 includes an experience of active nonviolence, as witnessed by a Serbian youth movement that helped bring about the peaceful fall of President Slobodan Milošević on Oct. 5, 2000, drawing inspiration in part from the first Christians.
The Synod also published the final report of another study group, Study Group 7, on criteria for selecting candidates for bishop.
That report says bishops should be evaluated not only for moral integrity, doctrinal orthodoxy, pastoral sensitivity, leadership ability, and capacity to administer Church goods but also for “synodal competencies.” It quotes Pope Leo XIV as saying that a bishop’s duty is “to build communion among its members and with the universal Church by fostering the variety of gifts and ministries given for its own growth and for the spread of the Gospel.”
The report also asks the dicasteries of the Roman Curia to review their procedures in a more synodal spirit and proposes regular independent evaluation of the processes for selecting bishops.
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.
Researchers name moth species after Pope Leo XIV
Researchers have named a moth species “Pyralis papaleonei,” or “Pope Leo moth," in honor of the Holy Father.
“The new species is dedicated to the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV,” authors Peter Huemer, Lauri Kaila, and Andreas H. Segerer wrote in a research article on the species. “The pontiff is a strong advocate of climate and environmental protection, and we hope that his voice may serve as an example for humanity.”
In the journal, Nota Lepidopterologica, the entomologists said the species was discovered on the Mediterranean island of Crete. It is a medium-sized species with a 2-centimeter wingspan, gold spots, and prominent white bands.
“Furthermore, due to its distinctive coloration and overall appearance, the new species belongs to a group of Pyralidae whose species names refer to high secular or ecclesiastical offices including Pyralis regalis, Pyralis imperialis, Pyralis princeps, and Pyralis cardinalis,” they wrote.
Butterflies are often named after external characteristics, geographical locations, or in honor of distinguished individuals, according to a press release from Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, or the Tyrolean State Museum, located in Innsbruck, Austria.
Within the Pyralis genus, a different tradition has emerged. As early as 1775, Austrian naturalists and Jesuits Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller described the first species of the group as Pyralis regalis, or "royal,” due to its coloration.
This prompted similar names including Pyralis princeps and Pyralis cardinalis, which belong to the superfamily Pyraloidea comprised of 16,000 described species worldwide.
In the Old Testament (Genesis 2), Adam is instructed to name all animals. According to the museum, this led to the action of taxonomy — the science of classifying, naming, and categorizing organisms — to often be considered, “in the biblical sense, the oldest task of humankind.”
According to Huemer, head of studies at the Tyrolean State Museum, the naming process is more than a scientific act but a symbolic gesture. For the Pope Leo moth, it is an appeal to the head of the Catholic Church and to draw attention to humanityʼs central responsibility for the preservation of creation.
“We are facing a global biodiversity crisis, yet only a fraction of the world’s species has been scientifically documented,” Huemer said in a statement. “Effective conservation of biodiversity requires that species are first recognized, described, and named.”
Huemer’s call echoes the pope’s "call for conversion” at a 2025 international conference on climate justice, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si’.
“It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place,” the Holy Father said. “We must shift from collecting data to caring, and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles."
India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community
The results of staggered elections in four key Indian states held in April have drawn diverse reactions from the Christian community following the May 4 counting of the votes.
While the poll outcomes from the two southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been soothing for Christians, the results from West Bengal and Assam in eastern and northeastern India have come as frustrating for Christian communities.
Kerala: A ‘clear verdict’ against propaganda
In the southern Christian heartland of Kerala, the ruling communist alliance was decimated to 35 seats while the opposition Congress-led alliance won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, a state of 35 million people, 18% of whom are Christian.
“The result has shown that the people cannot be misled by propaganda and they have given a clear verdict against it,” Father Thomas Tharayil, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told EWTN News on May 6.
The remark came against the backdrop of anti-Christian propaganda by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with prominent Christians in the BJP even attacking Church leaders for the Churchʼs protest against the draconian amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Christians in Kerala were relieved after four prominent Christians who had allied with the BJP lost the polls despite making much noise against church leadership: P.C. George, a seven-time Kerala legislator; his son Shone George; federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian; and Anoop Antony, son of veteran Congress party leader and former Kerala chief minister A.K. Antony.
Half a dozen other Christian candidates the BJP fielded in Christian pockets under its lotus symbol also lost, while the party won just three seats with its Hindu candidates.
Tamil Nadu: A ‘genuinely historic’ TVK upset
In neighboring Tamil Nadu, with a population of 77 million, the new political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam — Victory Party of Tamil Nadu), founded by Catholic actor Joseph Vijay, stunned the Dravidian parties that had held power for nearly six decades between them.
Under Vijayʼs leadership, the TVK he founded in 2024 won 108 of the 234 seats in the state legislature, with the ruling DMK reduced to 73 and the opposition AIADMK left with 53 seats.
Describing the TVK victory that stunned even poll forecasts as “genuinely historic,” Father Charles Antony, editor of the Catholic fortnightly New Leader based in Chennai, told EWTN News: “Vijayʼs victory is real, consequential, and disruptive [of the] bipolar politics” in the state, which has more than 5 million Christians.
“He visited churches, temples, and mosques alike during the campaign, successfully projecting himself as a leader for all communities. This secular messaging helped his party distance itself from identity-based polarization,” he added.
While Vijay is “Catholic,” Antony emphasized that “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.”
West Bengal: ‘A terrible result many had feared’
The likely outcome in West Bengal — the state bordering Bangladesh — had been the subject of much conjecture even before voting, due to the controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list.
The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled the state since 2011 across three consecutive terms, lost the election badly — as many had feared — winning a mere 80 seats while the BJP captured power in the state for the first time, with 205 seats in the 294-seat state assembly.
“This is a terrible result many had feared,” Sunil Lucas, former president of Signis India, told EWTN News, while prominent Church leaders declined to comment on the results that bring the Hindu nationalist BJP to power in West Bengal — with Kolkata as its capital — for the first time.
“Decoding BJPʼs Bengal sweep: 77 seats won in 2021 retained, 129 wrested from TMC,” Indian Express summed up the results, which were flayed by the ruling party and the opposition parties other than the BJP.
On May 5, the national news channel NDTV carried a similar report with graphic details on how the ruling Trinamool Congress party “performed in seats with high voter deletions.” In constituencies where more than 25,000 voters had been disenfranchised, the BJP had won 95 of 147 seats, the report pointed out.
Assam: ‘Democracy becomes a failure’
In Assam state in the northeast, the BJP improved its tally with allies to 102 of the stateʼs 126 seats, securing a third consecutive term.
“When the ruling party with over two-thirds majority has no member of the minorities in the legislature, democracy becomes a failure,” Allen Brooks, a Catholic and spokesperson for the ecumenical Assam Christian Forum, told EWTN News.
While none of the 82 BJP winners are from the Muslim community, which accounts for 34% of Assamʼs population, Brooks also lamented that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7%” of the stateʼs 31 million people.
Commenting on the election results, Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops' conference of India, in a May 6 statement said: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.”
This story was updated at 12:29 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include Cardinal Anthony Poolaʼs statement.
Pope Leo XIV appoints Jesuit priest as bishop of Honolulu
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Michael T. Castori, SJ, as the new bishop of Honolulu on May 6. He is a member of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.
The pontiff accepted the resignation of Bishop Clarence R. Silva, 76, who has led the diocese since 2005.
According to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Castori was born on Oct. 21, 1960, in Sacramento, California. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1998.
Castori has earned several academic degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in classics from Harvard University in 1982, a master of divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in 1998, and a doctorate in Near Eastern religions from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2008.
He also received a licentiate in sacred theology from Fordham University in 2009.
He has held several teaching roles, including as an assistant professor at Santa Clara University and the Ateneo de Manila in the Philippines.
His pastoral experience includes service as chaplain to the Tongan Catholic communities in northern California and to San Quentin State Prison.
Before being appointed to Honolulu, he served as the rector of the Arrupe Jesuit Residence in Seattle.
Psychological distress in priests: Causes, warning signs, and how to address it
Psychological distress significantly affects priests, who may find themselves exposed to situations involving stress, anxiety, and emotional burnout due to the nature of their mission, said Father Wenceslao Vial, a priest and physician.
His remarks in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, come against a backdrop of growing concerns about mental health issues within the clergy. In April, Filipino Cardinal José Advíncula warned that “almost 1 in 5 priests in the Philippines suffers from psychological distress” and urged that mental health be prioritized in order to sustain pastoral ministry.
Vial, a professor of psychology and spiritual life in the theology department of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, emphasized that this problem should come as no surprise, as it is part of a broader reality.
“In many countries and not just among priests, people suffer from psychological distress,” he said, noting that “nearly 30% of the adult population suffers from some form of psychological pathology” and that anxiety "affects roughly 25% of the general population.”
Warning signs: When to be concerned
Vial stressed the importance of identifying warning signs. According to the specialist, the first sign of a mental health issue is often “a continuously and excessively negative emotional state: fear, sadness, distress, anger, and persistent negative thoughts.”
He further warned that these signs must be taken seriously when they persist over time: “When you observe a person who is overly anxious, overly insecure, or overly sad for a period that has already lasted, for instance, a couple of weeks, that’s a warning sign that requires attention.”
Otherwise, he cautioned, the situation may get worse: “If not addressed, the alarm itself turns into a fire. The person ends up getting burned."
Regarding treatment, Vial emphasized the importance of a proper diagnosis: “The first step is to make a diagnosis … to give a name to the difficulties.” He explained that it is not enough to treat the symptoms; rather, it is necessary to get to the root causes.
Likewise, he issued a clear call to seek out specialists: “You shouldn’t be afraid of health professionals — psychologists, psychiatrists, and doctors.”
Burnout: A common risk among priests
Among the most common problems he sees in priests is burnout, or what he calls the “disillusioned Good Samaritan syndrome,” which he described as “a state of exhaustion” linked to constantly serving others.
“It occurs in people who work by serving others, by giving of themselves to others,” he explained, noting that it affects not only priests but also doctors, teachers, and mothers.
A particularly relevant aspect is its root cause: “Often, it is not brought about by overwork but rather by service work that has lost its sense of purpose.”
Shared responsibility in the Church
Vial emphasized that caring for mental health is not solely an individual responsibility. “When problems arise in a diocese, the bishop must take the time to see what is happening,” he said, noting that both personal and institutional factors are typically involved.
Among these, he cited “excessive perfectionism,” “insecurity,” and “unhealed wounds” but also situations such as “leaving the priest excessively isolated” or “burdening him with too many responsibilities without providing support.”
“That is why it is a collaborative effort,” he emphasized.
Vial highlighted the importance of the support provided by the laity. “All of us in the Church must pray for our priests … and look out for our pastors,” he said. They are “the ones entrusted with leading us to heaven and bringing heaven down to earth.”
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.
Notre Dame Cathedral’s stained-glass dispute enters new legal phase
The long-running controversy over the replacement of six 19th-century stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral appears to be entering a new — and potentially decisive — phase.
On April 20, the permit to remove and replace the windows in one of the nave’s southern chapels, designed under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the architect behind Notre Dame’s iconic spire, was publicly posted on the cathedral’s railings, triggering an almost immediate legal response. The heritage preservation group “Sites et Monuments,” which watched helplessly as scaffolding was erected on April 27, announced that it would file an urgent legal appeal before the Paris Administrative Court targeting the authorization itself.
The plan to replace these windows with contemporary creations by French artist Claire Tabouret — unveiled to the public at the Grand Palais late last year — has drawn unusually broad opposition over the past two years, from heritage experts to Catholic figures.
A battle over the cathedral’s identity
Included among the main arguments against the project are that the Viollet-le-Duc windows belong to the cathedral’s 19th-century restoration and that introducing contemporary works in the nave would disrupt its balance. The proposed designs have themselves been criticized as overly figurative for the nave. For many, removing windows that survived the 2019 blaze — and have since been cleaned and restored — runs counter to the logic of the restoration itself.
Critics also point to the estimated cost of the project, around 4 million euros (about $4.7 million), as disproportionate, given broader heritage needs. The project has also faced opposition from France’s National Commission for Heritage and Architecture, which issued a negative opinion in July 2024.
For the president of Sites et Monuments, Julien Lacaze, the issue touches the core of heritage protection. “The question is whether the Viollet-le-Duc windows that are to be removed have artistic and historical value or not,” he said in an interview with Famille Chrétienne. “Viollet-le-Duc was not simply a restorer; he was a creator in the full sense. What matters is his vision of the Middle Ages and the freedom with which he approached it.”
The association had already filed a previous legal challenge last year, contesting the authority of the public body overseeing Notre Dame’s restoration to remove the windows. That case is still under appeal, while the new action goes directly to the substance of the decision. To support its legal efforts, Sites et Monuments has also launched a crowdfunding campaign.
Beyond the courtroom, the backlash continues to grow across France, with more than 340,000 people having signed a petition calling for the preservation of the Viollet-le-Duc windows.
The scale of public opposition has done little to slow the project, which many see as a reflection of President Emmanuel Macron’s desire to leave a contemporary mark on the restored cathedral — a vision already tested after the 2019 fire, when his proposal to replace the spire with a modern design was ultimately set aside after intense controversy. Critics now see the stained-glass project as a renewed attempt to leave his mark on the monument.
More broadly, the controversy points to a deeper divide over how the past should be treated — preserved as an inherited whole or reinterpreted through contemporary artistic choices. Supporters of the project argue that historic monuments must remain open to new forms of expression; Tabouret, who designed the controversial windows in question, has warned against “freezing” a monument in time.
Priest’s call to protest
While Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich has approved the current project, a position echoed by some within the Church who see contemporary art as a legitimate expression within historic monuments, the proposal is not enjoying unanimous support within Catholic ranks.
One of the most outspoken voices in recent days has been Father Michel Viot, a Paris-based priest who has called for a peaceful public protest.
In a message on social media, he said that Catholics in Paris, across France and abroad — particularly those who contributed to the cathedral’s restoration — should be “warned of the day hands are laid on the windows.” He urged them to gather on-site either with rosaries, or simply “to pray or protest,” all to “demand respect for the law.” He denounced what he described as an arbitrary decision and an attack on beauty that, in his words, serves a “culture of death.”
The fact that the works were authorized despite repeated negative opinions from heritage authorities has reinforced the perception of a top-down initiative driven primarily by political considerations — a perception that has since ignited a broader wave of outrage across social media.
For now, all eyes turn to the administrative court, where the fate of the project may soon be tested.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Street in Brooklyn Heights renamed to honor Servant of God Dorothy Day
A street corner in Brooklyn, New York, is now honoring Catholic social activist and journalist Servant of God Dorothy Day.
The intersection of Pineapple and Henry streets in Brooklyn Heights was renamed to “Dorothy Day Way” on May 2. Day was born nearby at 71 Pineapple St. in 1897.
Martha Hennessy, Day’s granddaughter, and members of the Dorothy Day Guild attended the ceremony unveiling the new street sign.
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Hennessy called the ceremony “a beautiful moment” in an interview with The Tablet.
Alex Avitabile, a member of the guild, spearheaded the campaign to honor her by changing the street name. He recalled meeting her in 1970 after a talk she gave at the Catholic Worker House in Rochester, New York, saying he recognized that he was in the presence of a holy person.
“I knew,” Avitabile shared. “She had a way about her — her eyes. There are a few people I’ve met who are saintly people. And I could just see that.”
Kevin Ahern, board chairman of the guild, also attended the unveiling ceremony and said he believes the new street name can be an evangelization tool.
“By learning about her,“ he said, people ”can be inspired by her to live their life a little bit different and make the world a better place.”
“I truly believe that she will bring so much good to the Catholic Church and bring people back to the Church,” Hennessy said.
Her cause for canonization opened in 2000, and she is now recognized as a servant of God, the first step in the process toward possible sainthood.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Chicago, Day was baptized Episcopalian at the age of 12. From a young age she showed signs of caring deeply about religion and justice.
As a young woman, she was shaped by the social upheavals of the 1910s and influenced by works like Upton Sinclairʼs book “The Jungle,” which exposed the harsh realities of industrial labor. She left college and moved to New York, working as a reporter for a socialist newspaper and immersing herself in radical political and artistic circles, including a relationship with anarchist Forster Batterham.
In the 1920s, Day settled on Staten Island, where she raised her daughter, Tamar, and gradually deepened her spiritual life. Drawn to Catholicism, she began praying regularly and had her daughter baptized before entering the Catholic Church herself in 1927.
After becoming a single mother, her concern for the poor took on new urgency. In 1933, she partnered with Peter Maurin to launch the Catholic Worker Movement, combining direct service with a radical commitment to living out the Gospel through voluntary poverty.
Through the movement, Day helped establish houses of hospitality, soup kitchens, and farming communities, serving those in need throughout the Great Depression and beyond. A lifelong pacifist, she spoke out against war, including the Vietnam War, and supported labor rights and civil rights efforts. Day never took a salary for her work and remained committed to serving the marginalized for decades.
She died in 1990 and her legacy continues through Catholic Worker communities worldwide.
Pope Leo XIV: Church serves coming of God’s kingdom in history
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV continued his catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council at his Wednesday general audience, reflecting on the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium and the Church as “pilgrim in history towards the heavenly homeland.”
Speaking May 6 in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said that “the Church, in fact, journeys through this earthly history always looking towards her final destination, which is the heavenly homeland.”
“This is an essential dimension which, however, we often overlook or downplay, because we are too focused on what is immediately visible and on the more concrete dynamics of the life of the Christian community,” he said.
The pope explained that “the Church lives in history in the service of the coming of the kingdom of God in the world.”
“She proclaims the words of this promise to all and always; she receives a pledge of it in the celebration of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist; she puts its logic into practice and experiences it in relationships of love and service,” he said.
Leo said Lumen Gentium makes an important affirmation about the nature and mission of the Church.
“The Church is the ‘universal sacrament of salvation’ (LG, 48); that is, the sign and instrument of that fullness of life and peace promoted by God,” he said.
“This means that she does not identify perfectly with the kingdom of God but is its seed and beginning, for its fulfillment will be granted to humanity and the cosmos only at the end,” the pope continued.
Because of this, he said, Christians journey through history “without being either deluded or despairing,” guided by the promise of the One who will “make all things new.”
The Church, Leo said, carries out her mission between the “already” of the kingdom’s beginning in Jesus and the “not yet” of its promised fulfillment.
“As the guardian of a hope that enlightens the path, she is also invested with the mission of speaking clearly to reject everything that mortifies life and prevents its development, and to take a position in favor of the poor, the exploited, the victims of violence and war, and all those who suffer in body and in spirit,” he said.
The pope emphasized that the Church must always point beyond herself to Christ.
“As the sign and sacrament of the kingdom, the Church is the pilgrim people of God on earth who, drawing precisely on the final promise, reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its forms and proclaiming, in word and deed, the salvation that Christ wishes to bring about for all humanity and his kingdom of justice, love, and peace,” he said.
“The Church, therefore, does not proclaim herself; on the contrary, everything within her must point to salvation in Christ,” he added.
From this perspective, Leo said, the Church must recognize “humbly the human fragility and transience of her own institutions,” which, while at the service of God’s kingdom, “bear the fleeting image of this world.”
“No ecclesial institution can be treated as absolute; indeed, since they exist within history and time, they are called to continual conversion, to the renewal of forms and the reform of structures, to the continual regeneration of relationships, so that they may truly fulfill their mission,” the pope said.
Leo also reflected on the communion between Christians still carrying out their earthly mission and those who have already completed their earthly lives and are in purification or beatitude.
He said Lumen Gentium affirms that all Christians form “a single Church” and that there is “communion and sharing of spiritual goods” founded on believers’ union with Christ.
By praying for the dead and following the example of those who lived as disciples of Jesus, the pope said, Christians are strengthened on their own journey.
“Marked by the one Spirit and united in the one liturgy, together with those who have gone before us in faith, we praise and give glory to the Most Holy Trinity,” he said.
The pope concluded: “Let us be grateful to the Council Fathers for reminding us of this most important and beautiful aspect of being Christian, and may we strive to cultivate it in our lives.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Rubio: ‘There’s a lot to talk about’ with Pope Leo XIV
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that he has “a lot to talk about” with Pope Leo XIV in their upcoming meeting but that his trip to the Vatican on Thursday is not related to President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the Holy Father.
Rubio was asked by a reporter during a news conference on May 5 whether the May 7 meeting is an attempt to “smooth things over” with Leo after Trump called him “weak on crime” and “weak on nuclear weapons” and falsely accused him of wanting Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
The secretary said this is not the reason for the meeting, but instead it is “a trip we had planned from before.” He acknowledged “we had some stuff that happened” but said there is “a lot to talk about with the Vatican.”
“The pope just returned from a trip to Africa, where the Church is growing very vibrantly, and we have shared concerns about religious freedom in different parts of the world,” Rubio said. “We’d love to talk to them about that.”
Rubio added that the U.S. gave $6 million of humanitarian aid to Cuba, which was distributed by the Church, and “we’d like to do more” with that partnership.
“We’re willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba, by the way, distributed through the Church, but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it,” he said.
A reporter also asked Rubio about Trump’s more recent comment about Leo on May 4. On “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” the president again accused Leo of holding the view that “it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and added: “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.”
In response, Rubio said the president’s position is that “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics, including Christians and others for that matter.”
“[Trump] doesn’t understand why anybody — leave aside the pope — the president, and I for that matter, I think most people, I cannot understand why anyone would think that it’s a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
Although Leo has urged diplomacy in Iran as opposed to war, the Holy Father has not said he supports Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. Rather, the pope has spoken out strongly against nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
Rubio accused Iran of “holding the whole world hostage” by refusing to let ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran threatened to block all ships from passing through the strait without express permission from its government following the American and Israeli attack. The U.S. is now blockading every ship that coordinates with Iran.
“What do you think they would do if they had a nuclear weapon?” Rubio said. “They would hold the world hostage with that nuclear weapon.”
Rubio was also asked about the upcoming papal visit by an Italian journalist. He similarly said he plans to discuss “the destruction of religious liberty, the persecution of Christian minorities, and also the challenges that are being faced by Christians in Africa, where the pope just recently visited.”
“So we have a lot to talk about with them and I engage with them quite a bit on that front, so the trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them and other secretaries of state have done that in the past,” he said.
“The pope is obviously the vicar of Christ … but he’s also the head of a nation-state and it’s an organization that has a presence in over a hundred-something countries around the world and we engage with the Vatican quite a bit because they’re present in many different places,” Rubio said.