Nicaraguan government releases video of bishop who has been missing for more than 40 days
Media outlets aligned with the Nicaraguan dictatorship released a video showing Bishop Abelardo Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, whose whereabouts have been unknown since late June.
In the video, whose recording date is unknown, the 80-year-old prelate, who celebrates his golden jubilee of priesthood on Aug. 15, is seen conversing with a journalist and pro-government lawmaker Adolfo Pastrán.
Among other things, Pastrán remarks that the bishop looks “full of vitality,” to which the bishop briefly replies that “prayer helps a great deal” and that he is doing well.
‘I’m in my element here, living a monastic life’
Throughout the nine minutes of footage, the two are seen discussing personal anecdotes, Mata’s fondness for tending to his crops and plants, and his reading habits at the estate where he lives in Tisma, Masaya district, the location where the dictatorship says the bishop has been since July 4 following his detention in late June.
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Regarding whether he receives visitors, the bishop mentions that “a brother and a niece” have come to see him and that he enjoys “silence, study, and prayer. I am in my element, leading a monastic life; that is what I am doing — prayer and intellectual work.”
‘Pro-government propagandist’
Speaking on Aug. 14 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Father Edwing Román, vicar of St. Agatha Parish in Miami, criticized the release of the video. He described Pastrán as a “pro-government propagandist” who fails to mention “anything about the bishop being intercepted by police as he left a clinic in Estelí.”
“They kept him under restrictions and incommunicado for weeks in addition to trying to tarnish his reputation for integrity by questioning him about his property,” he added.
When Mata was detained, the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, issued a statement noting that the prelate had been subjected to a “necessary inquiry regarding the origin of properties and family ties inconsistent with his priestly status” and that, subsequently, “he has returned to his home, where he remains in perfect condition.”
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Román also noted that “Bishop Mata has always been a critical voice and deeply attuned to the suffering of the Nicaraguan people. His arbitrary detention — being confined to his own home — is part of the pattern of harassment the Church in Nicaragua is facing.”
“This video,” the priest emphasized, “appears in response to pressure from Nicaraguans and, above all, the United States; yet it neither shows nor mentions the police patrols stationed at the property, where the bishop is not free to leave.”
In mid-July, the U.S. government reiterated its demand for the “immediate and unconditional release of Bishop Abelardo Mata” in a statement by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Riley Barnes.
‘The same script’ used with Bishop Rolando Álvarez
Arturo McFields Yescas, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States, told ACI Prensa that “Nicaragua’s dictatorship has repeated the same script they used with Bishop Rolando Álvarez. They changed the scenery and the persons being interviewed a bit, but it’s the same script.”
“The dictatorship presents a bishop who is being held captive, who is a ‘disappeared’ person deprived of his freedom, yet who appears well, healthy, in excellent physical condition, and well nourished,” he noted.
In November 2023, as various institutions were demanding proof of life from the Nicaraguan regime regarding Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, the dictatorship released a series of images showing the prelate, who had been unjustly imprisoned since February of that year. In January 2024, he was expelled from the country and now lives in exile in Rome.
In McFields’ view, the release of the video featuring Mata demonstrates that “we are living under a regime of terror and lies. Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata remains held against his will, and people want to see him free. They do not want partial or illusory freedom. What we are witnessing is another staged performance.”
“No one believes the charade they put on, claiming that Bishop Mata was calm, relaxed, and in robust health. No one believes that lie. The video most likely dates back several weeks or months. It lacks credibility, and so does the interviewer,” he added.
“Free the bishop and put an end to religious persecution in Nicaragua,” urged the former Nicaraguan ambassador. “The life of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata is in grave danger as long as he remains held captive by the dictatorship,” he declared.
Day of prayer for Mata
Mata led the Diocese of Estelí for more than 30 years, from April 1990 to July 2021.
Mata was ordained a priest on Aug. 15, 1976. To mark this anniversary, a group of Nicaraguans in exile is encouraging a day of prayer for the prelate this Saturday, Aug. 15, “in all parishes and Catholic centers in Nicaragua and around the world.”
The exiles are calling for Masses to be celebrated and the rosary to be prayed, as well as for the offering of the traditional “thousand Hail Marys” for Mata “for his life, his well-being, and his freedom,” and “for his swift release and protection.”
“On this Aug. 15, the Nicaraguan Church gives thanks for his golden jubilee of priesthood and lifts up prayers for the priest, the shepherd, and the brother who today also needs to be accompanied and upheld in prayer,” the group stated.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV: Mary shows that ‘true beauty’ is found in ‘the light of the Risen Lord’
Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 15 called on Catholics to look to Mary, the Mother of God as an example of “true beauty,” with the Holy Father pointing to her youthful appearance in sacred art as a sign of “love that never ends.”
The Holy Father delivered the homily during Mass at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, directly adjacent to the papal summer residence there. The small chapel was full for the 10 a.m. liturgy of the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In his homily reflecting on Mary’s assumption into heaven, Leo noted that “many works of art depict her as a beautiful young woman physically rising from the earth toward the heavens at the end of her earthly life.”
These depictions of a youthful Mary at the end of her life offer a contrast with “our experience of what the passing of years does to us,” the pope said. He asked rhetorically: “What do we have in common with the beautiful young woman depicted on the altarpieces of our churches?”
Mary’s glorification, the pope said, “teaches us that our true beauty does not lie in hiding the signs of aging, but in revealing the signs of love that never end, and are even impressed on our flesh.”
The pope said this sign of faith invites Catholics to “reexamine many of the aesthetic standards, predominantly hedonistic and consumerist in nature, that the world imposes on us.”
He contrasted those who look aged but who radiate “serenity, kindness and peace” with those who “are perhaps outwardly attractive but hard and cold at heart.”
“It is easy to see where true beauty lies and where, on the other hand, there is still a need for conversion, forgiveness and healing,” he said.
Love “is humanity’s most beautiful adornment,” the pope said. He urged Catholics to “follow the light of the Risen Lord” in part by “looking to Mary, whom God has crowned with glory in body and soul.”
In remarks during his midday Angelus after the Mass, Leo said viewing a depiction of Mary being assumed into heaven “allows us to contemplate our ultimate destiny” as followers of Christ.
He described the Blessed Mother as “a sign of hope and consolation” for the faithful and he invoked her blessing on “those communities that are particularly in need of consolation,” including the faithful in Ukraine and Russia, as well as those suffering from the recent earthquake in Colombia.
Spanish priest helps over 1,200 people find a spouse using WhatsApp
Spanish priest Father Fernando Cuevas has helped 1,280 single people find a spouse and get married over the past 15 years using WhatsApp and a simple questionnaire.
“There are many people longing for true and everlasting love in Christ,” he told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
Now over 70, the priest, who is from the island of Ibiza and is a member of Opus Dei, acknowledges that this providential pastoral work has transformed his ministry: “This has totally changed my life,” he said.
In addition to serving as chaplain for two schools near Valencia and two youth clubs, for the past 15 years he has been receiving dozens of requests from single Catholics — “on a normal day, 60 WhatsApp messages” — at the number +34 609 765 284.
Despite the sheer volume, he said he approaches it with great peace of mind: “I don’t let myself get overwhelmed,” he said.
“The two requirements I set are that they be over 25 and attend Mass on Sundays,” he explained. From there, he asks about their age, their level of church involvement, and where they live, cross-referencing the information whenever possible.
At times, he has to ask those who come to him for patience. “Wait — your turn will come,” he tells those who express a particularly strong desire to find a life partner.
When it comes to exchanging numbers, the first thing he looks at is the city where they live, as this usually makes things easier, though not always. He also tries to ensure the men are taller and two or three years older than the women.
Then there are “people with a strong sense of spirituality” — another factor that really helps ensure that the candidates hit it off.
‘I’m a priest; I completely trust in Providence’
Cuevas sets no limits on divine plans and serves people of all ages, though men are scarce in certain age groups. “I have few men in their 30s. A great many in their 40s. And fewer from age 50 onwards.” Women are less scarce.
Despite his success, the priest approaches this pastoral work with humility: “I have no special gift,” he said.
“I’m a priest; I completely trust in Providence and know that God calls every person, that there is a specific plan from the Lord for them from before they were born. Just as someone might have a vocation to a religious order, a movement, or anything else, God has someone in mind for that person, so that they may attain holiness.”
The priest, dubbed the “Tinder priest” or a matchmaker, is clear that the vocation to marriage is no less significant than others: “It’s a call to total self-giving. Just as a priest or a nun has discovered that deep longing of the human heart.”
It has happened on occasion that phone numbers got mixed up during the exchange. Someone called the wrong person, not the one originally intended. They met up, had a meal, and got to know each other. Obviously, they realized the photos and certain profile details didnʼt match, but they didnʼt mind. “I donʼt know what happened, but itʼs perfect,” one of them wrote to him.
Requests from around the world
At the start of this pastoral work, Cuevas sought to help people in his immediate circle within the Archdiocese of Valencia. However, many people write to him from other countries, particularly from Spanish-speaking America.
To better handle these requests, he relies on the assistance of another priest, Father Vicente Huerta, who is based in Spain and spends many nights speaking with people in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, among other places.
But they have also had candidates from places that might seem unexpected at first glance, such as India.
‘People want to love truly’
In a society like Spain’s, which is experiencing a major crisis regarding marriage and the family, Cuevas said he draws a clear lesson from this apostolate: “People are looking for true love. There is a yearning, an enormous need to love. People are in great need. They want to love truly, to forget themselves, to give of themselves, and to bring Christ into their lives.”
He continued: “The vast majority are looking for someone who places Christ at the center of their lives. There are so many people longing for that. It moves me to see the number of people who say: ‘It doesn’t matter to me if he has blue eyes, is very handsome, or is very smart. If he doesn’t have Christ at the center of his life — forget it.’ That is the hierarchy of values.”
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.
Marian dogmas: What every Catholic should know
The solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15 is an opportune time to deepen our love for the Mother of God by understanding the “place” God has assigned her for our spiritual benefit and eternal salvation.
Mary’s assumption into heaven is a dogma of faith for Catholics.
Church dogmas encompass truths concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Church, the sacraments, and the ultimate destiny of human beings. With regard to Mary, the Church has defined four dogmas.
Below is a review of the dogmas proclaimed regarding Mary, a helpful reminder of the role she plays in God’s plan of salvation for us.
1. The Immaculate Conception
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception states that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved by a singular grace of God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ from all stain of original sin from the very first moment of her conception.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) summarizes it thus: The Virgin was “preserved immune from all stain of original sin” such that her “entirely unique holiness” was enriched “from the first instant of her conception,” which God granted her to prepare within her a dwelling place for the Incarnate Word.
This dogma was defined by Pope Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1854, through the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. Church teaching emphasizes that this grace comes from Jesus Christ, not apart from him: Mary was redeemed in a “prevenient” (or “preceding”) and perfect manner in virtue of her Sonʼs merits.
2. Divine motherhood
Mary’s divine motherhood means that the Virgin is truly the mother of God, because Jesus Christ, her son, is one divine person with two natures, the human and the divine. Therefore, the child born of Mary according to the flesh is the eternal Son of God made man; in this sense, Mary is truly Theotokos, the Mother of God (cf. CCC, 495).
This truth was solemnly proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 under the pontificate of Pope Celestine I. In the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed this doctrine by noting that “from the most ancient times, the Blessed Virgin is honored with the title of Mother of God” (Lumen Gentium, 66).
3. Her perpetual virginity
The dogma of perpetual virginity affirms that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. This truth has been part of the Catholic faith since the early centuries.
It is not merely a matter of noting that Mary remained a virgin up to a certain point but of professing that her virginity was perpetual. St. John Paul II recalled that the Church has consistently regarded this truth as part of the faith received and deepened throughout its history.
Unlike the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, this dogma was not defined in a single papal bull. Maryʼs perpetual virginity was formally defined through the Second Council of Constantinople (553) and the Lateran Synod (649).
4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary states that the Blessed Virgin, having completed the course of her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. The Church does not define the exact manner in which her earthly life ended, but it does proclaim with certainty that she was fully glorified by God (cf. CCC, 966).
This dogma was solemnly proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on Nov. 1, 1950, through the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. That document reaffirms that the Immaculate Mother of God was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
Important to remember
Marian dogmas do not detract in any way from Jesus Christ; on the contrary, they reveal the greatness of God’s saving work in the Virgin Mary. Therefore, authentic Marian devotion never separates Mary from Jesus Christ but rather contemplates her as the Lord’s first and most perfect disciple.
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.
Massachusetts abortion law ‘horrendous,’ top Catholic bishop says
The head of the U.S. bishops is criticizing the state of Massachusetts for what he said was its “shocking” decision to remove any limits to abortion there.
State Gov. Maura Healey signed a bill into law on Aug. 10 making Massachusetts the 11th state to impose no limits on abortion. The law removes all of the state’s restrictions on abortion, leaving the decision to perform a late-term abortion up to the “judgment of the physician” carrying it out.
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the decision “shocking” and “horrendous.”
“Itʼs an affront against the dignity of life,” he said in an interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” on Aug. 13.
“I hope it will not stand, but weʼll see,” the archbishop added, describing the decision as “a shocking blow to the pro-life movement and to everyone whoʼs concerned about the dignity and sanctity of human life.”
Meanwhile, the political advocacy group CatholicVote is calling for the excommunication of Healey, who is Catholic.
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt said in a letter that CatholicVote believes that Healey is an “accomplice” to the procurement of abortions by signing the law. Reinhardt added that the signing caused “scandal” and “was not a private sin.”
“The logic of medicinal punishment is ancient and coherent and teaches that you do not withhold medicine from a sick person to protect their feelings,” Reinhardt wrote. “You administer it because you love them and because you take their illness seriously. Governor Healey is a Catholic in a state of grave sin. She has publicly and now legislatively cooperated in the destruction of innocent human life.”
“Governor Healey did not sign this legislation reluctantly or with any expression of the gravity of what she was authorizing,” Reinhardt said. “She signed it at a celebratory public event. She was met with applause. The ceremony was festive.”
When asked about calls for Healey’s excommunication, Coakley said that the law constitutes a “scandal” but that the matter is between the governor and her bishop.
“Itʼs an affront against the teaching of the Church,” Coakley said of the law. “But truly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or any episcopal conference really does not have that kind of authority” to excommunicate Healey.
“This is really a matter that will have to be addressed between the governor and her bishop and the bishops of Massachusetts,” Coakley continued.
The Massachusetts Catholic bishops decried the bill before it was signed, saying that the “elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgment, a radical measure which is gravely immoral.”
Pro-lifers praise attorney general for pledging to review mail-order abortion
Pro-life advocates are praising then-Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche for his promise to review the legality of sending abortion pills through the U.S. mail.
During his confirmation hearing on July 15, Blanche pledged to review the Comstock Act, a law already on the books that prohibits the mailing of abortion-related materials. If enforced, the law would halt mail-order abortions.
An Aug. 7 letter signed by 35 pro-life leaders commended Blanche for his promise to “carefully evaluate” the law and whether or not it is being properly enforced.
Lawsuit against Virginia abortion amendment rises to appeals court
A lawsuit against a Virginia state constitutional amendment to establish an unlimited right to abortion is currently before a state appeals court.
Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit Christian legal group, said on Aug. 13 that it had appealed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia about a court order dismissing a legal challenge to the ballot measure.
The lawsuit argues that the Virginia government neglected proper legal processes for proposed amendments, rendering the abortion amendment itself ineligible for inclusion on the ballot.
Vatican says 2 parishes in Buffalo will not have to close amid diocesan merger plan
Two parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, have won reprieves from the Vatican and will not have to close amid a diocesan-wide closure and merger plan.
Mary Pruski, the leader of the advocacy group Save Our Buffalo Churches, told EWTN News on Aug. 14 that the parishes of St. Josaphat and Our Lady of the Rosary both won appeals at the Holy See over closures that were mandated by the diocese’s “Road to Renewal” plan.
That plan was announced in May 2024, with Bishop Michael Fisher revealing that the diocese would merge about a third of its parishes amid declines in attendance and financial struggles.
The Save Our Buffalo Churches group has advocated against multiple closures in the diocese since the announcement. In December 2025 the Vatican said multiple parishes in the diocese that had petitioned the Vatican would not have to close.
Pruski told EWTN News on Aug. 14, meanwhile, that the St. Josaphat Parish “won their appeal to not merge and close,” while Our Lady of the Rosary “won their appeal against being reduced to common use and sold.”
She said a few parishes represented by the group “continue to await their appeal decision from the Dicastery for the Clergy,” while several other parishes have raised their appeals to the Apostolic Signatura.
“These cases may take up to another year for a final decision,” she said.
Diocesan spokesman Gregory Tucker confirmed to EWTN News on Aug. 14 that per the Vatican’s decision the parishes would not be forced to close.
Fisher “respects the decision of the dicastery and will not appeal these decisions,” Tucker said. “That said, these parishes will be closely monitored to ensure that they can remain viable and self-sustaining going forward.”
The Buffalo parish group’s fight against the closure plan made it all the way to the New York Supreme Court in 2025. The court in July of that year ordered a brief halt to some diocesan-mandated parish payments into the diocese’s abuse settlement fund. The New York Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the case, saying it did not have jurisdiction over internal Church matters.
In April, however, the Vatican issued a revocation of multiple “assessment allocation decrees” against parishes in the diocese, citing canon law violations regarding parish fund procurement “as well as the amounts and methods undertaken to procure those monies.”
Elsewhere in New York state, parishioners in the Diocese of Rochester are petitioning the Vatican to let them save a 160-year-old parish that has been locally recognized for its historic significance.
Advocates hope to preserve Holy Family Parish in Auburn in part to preserve the memory and legacy of Bishop Patrick Byrne, an apostolic delegate to Korea who was martyred in 1950 during a four-month-long forced march while in the captivity of communist forces in North Korea. Byrne was confirmed at the parish in 1900.
Peruvian government declares Pope Leo XIV’s visit a matter of national interest
During the regular session of the Council of Ministers on Aug. 12, the government of Peru declared the Nov. 11–17 apostolic visit of Pope Leo XIV to the country to be a matter of national interest.
“His Holiness' visit is great news for the entire country,” President Keiko Fujimori stated Aug. 12, according to the official newspaper El Peruano.
The decision will enable the government to take the necessary measures to organize activities in Lima, Callao, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa — the cities the pontiff will visit. The government will also facilitate customs procedures for the entry of goods.
Additionally, a high-level extraordinary commission will be established to set the guidelines, strategies, and actions necessary to ensure the apostolic visit is a success.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for national coordination and will serve as the commissionʼs technical secretariat. The various ministries will designate their representatives, while regional and local governments may also join in.
The Peruvian Church welcomes the pope with joy
The confirmation of the visit was also received with joy by the Peruvian bishops.
“We are very happy because we have received the news that the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, is coming to visit his beloved homeland, his beloved Peru,” Bishop Edinson Farfán of Chiclayo recently stated.
The prelate particularly highlighted that the pontiff will return to the diocese he once shepherded in Peru. “We are filled with joy because he will visit his beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, which has given him so much, so much to continue being a faithful Church of Jesus Christ,” he said, quoting the first words of Leo XIV to the faithful gathered in St. Peterʼs Square at the Vatican after his election as pontiff.
“We pray for the Holy Father’s intentions and await him with open arms,” he concluded.
The president of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Carlos García Camader, stated that the presence of Leo XIV “among us will be a true gift for our people and an opportunity to renew our faith, strengthen hope, and walk together.”
More than 700,000 people
According to estimates presented during the Council of Ministers meeting, the apostolic journey could draw at least 700,000 people across the country.
Of this total, approximately 350,000 people are expected to participate in Lima, between 100,000 and 150,000 in Cusco, and around 75,000 in both Pucallpa and Chiclayo.
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.
Is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary a holy day of obligation this year?
Catholics celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary each year on Aug. 15. The solemnity commemorates the Church’s teaching that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was taken body and soul into heaven.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII confirmed this belief about the Virgin Mary when he defined it formally — “ex cathedra” — as a dogma of the Catholic faith. In his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, it states “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
So, is this solemnity a holy day of obligation? It depends on what day it falls on.
In the United States, Latin-rite Catholics are bound by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) canon law norms, which require Mass attendance on Sundays and six specific holy days of obligation. However, regional exceptions and calendar-based rule adjustments can apply depending on the day of the week a feast lands.
The six holy days of obligations are: Jan. 1, solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, solemnity of the Ascension; Aug. 15, solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Nov. 1, solemnity of All Saints; Dec. 8, solemnity of the Immaculate Conception; and Dec. 25, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, when Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption; or Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted.
According to Canon 1246, paragraph 2, of the Code of Canon Law, “the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See.”
Since the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on a Saturday this year, 2026, Catholics are not required to attend Mass in addition to the regular Sunday obligation.
Catholic leaders urge protection for Christian village attacked in Bangladesh
The Catholic Church and Indigenous Christian leaders in Bangladesh have called on the authorities to protect families terrified by an attack on a Christian village and to bring those responsible to justice.
On Aug. 12, houses in the village of Gazarikura, a community in the Diocese of Mymensingh in the north of the Muslim-majority country, were attacked, looted, and vandalized. Local Indigenous Garo people said the stolen property included cash, cows, goats, and other valuables.
The Indigenous families said the attack and looting were carried out by people from a neighboring Muslim village after the body of a Muslim man was found in their village.
Father Simon Hacha, vicar general of the Diocese of Mymensingh, visited the village together with other priests, sisters, Garo Indigenous leaders, and local leaders.
“We never want unrest; we are for peace,” Hacha, who is himself a Garo, told EWTN News.
“We pray for the soul of the deceased person around whom this problem has arisen and we offer our condolences to his family,” he said.
He urged police not to harass those who are not guilty and to identify the culprits and take appropriate action.
“I hope that the administration will provide security to the Garo Indigenous of this village and that the villagers will maintain good relations with each other so that peace can prevail in the future,” Hacha added.
Losses and arrests
Village leaders told EWTN News that six houses in Gazarikura were vandalized and that the furniture of one house was burned. The attackers took away seven cows, 10 goats, a motorcycle, cash, and expensive furniture. The incident spread panic among local residents.
Father Lawrence Ribeiro, the parish priest of Mariamnagar, told EWTN News by telephone during a visit to the village on Aug. 14 that 11 houses had been looted and that televisions, refrigerators, cows, and goats had been taken away. The families do not have enough food, he said. “So, we brought food, soap, and other items for these families.”
Ribeiro said the families had been calculated to have suffered losses of about 4 million taka (about $32,000). “We are preparing to file a case of looting for this,” he said.
The body of a rice trader, Billal Hossain, 40, was recovered by police. Nineteen people, including men and women from the Garo community, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the case. Police later released 14 of them.
According to police sources, Hossain, a resident of the Jarultala area of the upazila, or subdistrict, went missing on Aug. 4. On the afternoon of Aug. 12, local farmers working in a field smelled a foul odor near a canal, searched the surroundings, and found the body buried in the ground. Police went to the spot and recovered it after being informed.
An organization of Garo Indigenous students said in a statement: "We want to say very clearly that the responsibility for the crime of an individual can never be imposed on an entire ethnic group, community, or population.”
“If someone is involved in any crime, his involvement will be determined through an impartial and fair investigation. If the crime is proven, he will be tried according to the prevailing law. But suspecting, harassing, or victimizing another innocent person on the basis of an individualʼs identity, ethnic identity, or community identity is against justice,” the student organization said.
S.M. Noor Mohammad, officer in charge of the Jhenaigati police station, said the atmosphere in the village is now calm and that police have been deployed.
“The police are investigating the incident and are continuing their efforts to identify the criminals involved in the incident,” Mohammad said.
On Aug. 9, Indigenous people had rallied for their rights and to protest atrocities against them on the occasion of the International Day of the Worldʼs Indigenous Peoples.
Pope Leo: Child migrants are too easily ignored by society
Pope Leo XIV has appealed to all people to recognize the suffering of child migrants, noting that they are often the most vulnerable during mass migration.
In a message published by the Vatican on Aug. 14, the pope reflected on the theme for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Even Just One of These Children,” drawn from Matthew 18:5. The initiative is organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Leo highlighted the growing challenges faced by minors forced to migrate from their home countries, including human trafficking, loss of parents, and sexual violence.
“Sadly, migrant children are more easily ignored, because they lack adults capable of protecting and supporting them,” Leo said in his message.
“To this already appalling situation are added further tragedies: deaths along migration routes, trafficking and exploitation, the recruitment of minors for use in armed conflicts, sexual violence, forced marriages, and the atrocities they have suffered or witnessed during their travels.”
He also noted the contributions of families, civil society, and Church communities in helping child migrants.
“We think of the families who open the doors of their homes in order to restore to these children the warmth of a family hearth; the educators who serve in reception centers; the volunteers and aid workers who each day devote themselves to healing the invisible wounds of these little ones along migration routes and in our cities,” Leo said.
The pope then appealed to civil institutions to work to improve protections for migrant children to uphold the dignity of every child.
“Even just one of these children, in the context of civil institutions, calls us to reaffirm the principle of the best interests of the child. Public and private institutions are bound to prioritize the protection and dignity of every single child and adolescent,” he said.