St. Andrew Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV meets with Israel President Isaac Herzog in a private audience at the Vatican on Sept. 4, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Sep 4, 2025 / 12:14 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV discussed the conflict in Gaza, including a two-state solution, with Israel President Isaac Herzog in a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday morning. 

According to a Vatican statement after the meeting, the talks focused on the political and social situation in the Middle East and the need to guarantee “a future for the Palestinian people and peace and stability in the region, with the Holy See reiterating the two-state solution as the only way out of the ongoing war.”

The Israeli president also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The Sept. 4 Vatican audience was the first closed-door meeting between Leo and Herzog, 64, who has been Israel’s president since 2021.

In a post on X following the encounter, Herzog thanked Leo for a “warm welcome today at the Vatican” and said he looked forward to strengthening Israel’s cooperation with the Holy See “for a better future of justice and compassion.”

The Vatican communique on Leo’s meeting with Herzog — a longer and much more detailed statement than those usually issued after audiences with heads of state — repeated Pope Leo’s regular public pleas for a resumption of negotiations, a permanent ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages, respect for humanitarian law, and the safe entry of aid into Gaza.

The Vatican said the hope was also expressed that the “legitimate aspirations” of both Israeli and Palestinian people can be guaranteed.

“Reference was also made to the situation in the West Bank and the important question of the city of Jerusalem” and to issues in the relations between Israeli state authorities and the local Church, the statement added.

In addition to a two-state solution for Palestine, Vatican diplomacy has called for an international status for the city of Jerusalem, where the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is the Catholic leader of not only Israel but also the Palestinian Territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

During a visit to the town of Taybeh in the West Bank in July, Pizzaballa and other Church leaders said they hold Israeli authorities responsible for “facilitating and enabling” attacks on Palestinian Christians by Israeli settlers.

Thursday’s conversation between Leo and Herzog also touched on the importance of ensuring the continued presence of Christian communities throughout the Middle East, the Vatican said.

After the talks, a statement from Herzog said the pope’s reception of Israel’s president reflected “the great significance of the relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel, and of course with the Jewish people, and the importance of the very sensitive issues and challenges we experience today.”

There was some tension surrounding the meeting due to a Sept. 2 statement from Herzog’s office stating that the president’s one-day visit to the Vatican came at the invitation of Pope Leo. The Vatican contradicted that claim hours later with a statement that “it is the Holy See’s practice to agree to requests for an audience with the pope from heads of state and government; it is not its practice to extend invitations to them.”

Vatican-Israel relations were marked by tension toward the end of the last pontificate owing to Pope Francis’ criticism of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli citizens and others by Hamas militants.

Pope Francis called Israel’s actions in Gaza “terrorism” and on two occasions said what was happening there might qualify as genocide.

Pope Leo has taken a more restrained approach, calling for ceasefires and the release of hostages and emphasizing the need for dignified humanitarian aid and respect for law.

null / Credit: NMKStudio/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 11:32 am (CNA).

A transgender-identifying plaintiff in a major lawsuit being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court has requested that the court drop the case and reverse lower court rulings favorable to him, with opponents meanwhile urging the Supreme Court to hear the case as scheduled. 

Lindsay Hecox originally sued Idaho over its Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which was passed to block males from gaining access to women’s sporting leagues. A district court and an appeals court both blocked the law. 

The high court in July had agreed to consider Hecox’s challenge to Idaho’s ban on men in women’s sports. Two lower courts had ruled in the male athlete’s favor, with Idaho ultimately appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the dispute. 

The Supreme Court at the time said it would also consider a similar case out of West Virginia. Both lawsuits have the potential to significantly affect U.S. case law regarding sports policy and accommodations for those who identify as the opposite sex. 

Yet in a Sept. 2 filing, Hecox — through his lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — said he was “voluntarily dismiss[ing]” his case, with the ACLU further urging the Supreme Court to vacate the two favorable rulings in the lower courts. 

In a declaration in the filing, Hecox said he had made the “extremely difficult decision” to “cease playing women’s sports” in any context covered by the Idaho law. He cited a desire to graduate college quickly, find employment, and move back home to be near his family. 

Hecox further cited “negative public scrutiny” and “increased intolerance” as he continued the case. He promised in the declaration that he would not sue Idaho over the law in the future and would not seek to participate in women’s sports in the state.

Hecox’s “unequivocal abandonment of [his] claims ... renders this case moot,” the filing states. 

Women’s advocates urge court not to drop the case

The decision brought rebuke from women’s advocates, who argued that the filing was a means of avoiding a potentially unfavorable Supreme Court ruling.

John Bursch, a senior attorney with the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a Sept. 4 press release that the group would “urge the Supreme Court to rule in this case” and ensure that federal law continues to “protect fair competition and equal opportunities for women and girls.”

Bursch noted that the high court has previously criticized efforts to “insulate a decision from review” by the justices. The Supreme Court has noted that such maneuvers “would permit a resumption of the challenged conduct as soon as the case is dismissed.”

Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Waggoner similarly criticized the filing on X, describing it on Sept. 3 as “a desperate, bad-faith move that the court should soundly reject.”  

“Let’s be clear: The ACLU picked this fight. In red states throughout America, they’ve gone on offense, filing lawsuits against commonsense laws meant to protect women’s sports,” she wrote.

“And now that the Supreme Court has taken up the case, they suddenly want to take their ball and go home?”

Waggoner said advocates would “urge the Supreme Court to thwart the ACLU’s attempt to game the system and to move forward with hearing the case.”

The West Virginia dispute, also being considered by the Supreme Court, arose after a then-11-year-old boy brought a lawsuit against the state over its Save Women’s Sports Act. 

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the law last year, claiming its enforcement would harm the boy “on the basis of sex.”

Waggoner wrote on Wednesday that “too many women and girls are losing their chance to be champions to kick this can down the road.”

“The issue of men in women’s sports is an ongoing, nationwide controversy. It deserves its day at America’s highest court,” she said.

Mass at St. Michael’s Abbey in California. / Credit: “EWTN News In Depth”/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 10:19 am (CNA).

A man arrested with a car full of weapons after threatening a California Catholic church told the parish he was an angel of death meant to “do the Lord’s reaping,” according to authorities. 

Police arrested Joshua Michael Richardson on Aug. 28 after he allegedly made criminal threats against St. Michael’s Abbey, located in Silverado, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana Mountains. 

Richardson, an Alabama resident, had a cache of weapons in his car, including knives, brass knuckles, and a sword, police said. He was also reportedly in possession of several gun magazines. 

On Sept. 3 the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in a press release that prior to driving from Alabama to the California abbey, Richardson sent an email “threatening to ‘do the Lord’s reaping’” at the church. 

The suspect also reportedly claimed to be the “rider of the pale horse,” an apparent reference to Revelation 6:8, which refers to the personification of death among the apocalyptic Four Horsemen.

Richardson further “claimed to be Michael the angel of death” and “explained that he chose St. Michael’s Abbey as it is one of the few churches in the nation that still practices Michaelmas,” according to the district attorney’s office. 

The prosecutor’s office said Richardson traveled to the abbey and on Aug. 26 attended Mass there. After Mass he allegedly “follow[ed] the priest into a private area of the church” and made further cryptic and threatening remarks. 

The suspect was arrested two days later and was charged with multiple crimes, including threats, felony possession of brass knuckles, and felony possession of a dagger. 

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the press release that churches “represent the most sacred places of worship and of peace.” 

“No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies,” he said. 

Richardson’s Aug. 28 arrest came exactly one day after the deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that claimed the lives of two children and injured approximately 20 more children and adults.

The perpetrator of that crime, 23-year-old Robin Westman, born Robert Westman, indicated prior to the killing and his suicide that he was suffering from mental health issues, which he claimed in a manifesto had been exacerbated by marijuana and his struggles with his “gender identity.”

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump has called for the death penalty for capital crimes in the District of Columbia and Catholic groups have pushed back. / Credit: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 4, 2025 / 08:20 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump called on prosecutors in Washington, D.C., to seek the death penalty for any person convicted of murder in the nation’s capital — a plan that has received pushback from the advocacy group Catholic Mobilizing Network.

“Anybody murders [somebody] in the capital — capital punishment,” Trump told reporters last week.

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty and it’s a very strong preventative and everybody that’s heard it agrees with it,” Trump added. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but … we have no choice.”

The president did not make clear how he would impose such a requirement. A spokesperson for the White House referred CNA back to Trump’s comments when asked whether a specific policy or plan is in the works.

Last month, Trump initiated a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., police and deployed the National Guard to assist the police. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act allows a president to take control of city police for 30 days without congressional approval amid emergencies.

The president cited the city’s crime rate as the emergency that warrants the temporary federal takeover.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, president of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, told CNA that like other American cities, Washington, D.C., “has challenges with crime and violence that should not be ignored.”

“But to suggest that the response to homicide in the District of Columbia should be capital punishment is at best a terribly misguided approach,” she said. “Perpetuating more violence in response to harm does not promise safety or an effective solution to crime.”

The Catholic Mobilizing Network works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on efforts to oppose the death penalty and uphold the human dignity of people who are incarcerated.

“Capital punishment defiles the sacred dignity of life and deserves no place in our nation’s capital, our country, or any society,” Murphy added. “Simply put, the death penalty is a failed system beyond repair. Instead of providing real opportunities for healing and closure, capital punishment systematically perpetuates a cycle of violence.”

Murphy argued that enforcing the death penalty is more costly than other prison sentences, does not deter crime, and risks ending the life of people who are wrongly accused.

“The people of Washington, D.C., deserve real safety, true accountability, and approaches to crime and violence that are rooted in the preservation of life,” she said.

The death penalty is currently legal in 27 states but has been abolished in 23.

Kendrick Castillo, the lone fatality at the STEM school shooting in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on May 7, 2019. / Credit: Photo courtesy of John and Maria Castillo

Denver, Colo., Sep 4, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

Kendrick Castillo was 18 years old when he tragically died in the STEM school shooting in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on May 7, 2019. He died, witnesses said, after he jumped up in the line of fire and ran to stop one of the shooters with a couple other students. He was the lone fatality. Now, this young man could become a saint in the Catholic Church.

The Diocese of Colorado Springs — the diocese to which the city of Highlands Ranch belongs — announced that a petition to open his cause for canonization has been received. 

“I am very grateful for the time and effort that Father Gregory Bierbaum and Father Patrick DiLoreto of St. Mark Parish in Highlands Ranch have spent gathering evidence and conducting interviews to prepare for a petition to open the cause for canonization of Kendrick Castillo. Although I have just begun to review the information submitted, it seems clear that Kendrick was an exceptional young man,” Bishop James Golka of the Diocese of Colorado Springs said in a statement.

He added: “As we study and discern how to approach the massive undertaking of promoting a canonization cause, I ask all the faithful to keep Kendrick’s family in their prayers. I also encourage everyone to privately invoke Kendrick’s intercession, praying especially for the youth in our diocese, that they emulate his example of fortitude and generosity.”

While Castillo had many connections to the Archdiocese of Denver — attending Notre Dame School in Denver, serving as a Squire of the Knights of Columbus in a Denver council, and having his funeral at St. Mary Parish in Littleton — the Church looks to where the individual’s life ended to determine which diocese has the right to petition for canonization. 

Therefore, since Castillo died in Highlands Ranch, which belongs to the Diocese of Colorado Springs, it is that diocese’s responsibility to conduct the investigation. Golka and the diocese will now review and examine the evidence collected and, if approved, the petition will be sent to Rome for further consideration.

DiLoreto, the parochial vicar at St. Mark Parish in Highlands Ranch, is one of the individuals involved in gathering evidence for Castillo’s cause of canonization. He and the parish’s pastor, Bierbaum, both experienced Castillo’s story coming up in prayer for months, DiLoreto told CNA in an interview.

“After learning that the issue had been on both of our hearts, we felt this was a prompting by the Holy Spirit to investigate further,” he said. “After interviewing his parents and reviewing the manner in which he died we believed there was reason to petition the diocese to open a cause for him.”

DiLoreto explained that the priests believe that Castillo qualifies for the category of “Offering of Life.” In a 2017 motu proprio, Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” — in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor. 

Though similar to martyrdom, this definition fits those servants of God who have in some way given up their life prematurely for charity, though the circumstances may fall outside the strict definition of martyrdom, which requires the presence of a persecutor.

“He [Castillo] courageously threw himself at one of the school shooters without hesitation allowing other students to follow and subdue the gunman. This saved the lives of his fellow classmates when in any other circumstance, there would surely have been more deaths on that day,” DiLoreto expressed. 

When discussing Castillo’s faith, DiLoreto called him “a pious young man who cared deeply for his faith and desired to be a witness of the faith for others, especially those who had never encountered Our Lord.”

“We have seen this through the devotionals which he had,” he continued. “For example, he always carried his rosary with him — seeing how well-worn the rosaries were, it can also be inferred that he used them frequently. He had one of his rosaries on him when he was murdered, which has since been gifted to a classmate who was in the room.”

Actively served in his parish

DiLoreto also shared that Castillo served at Mass and at funerals, actively volunteered at his parish, and attended the funerals of individuals he didn’t even know just to pray for the deceased and his or her family.

“As the country faces more and more persecution of Christians especially in these horrific school shootings, such as the one last week in Minnesota, we can look at the heroic examples such as Kendrick and the children who protected others for inspiration,” DiLoreto said.

“The elderly can look to such young examples as hope for the future generations where there may be skepticism over the future of the Church. Young people can look to such examples and be inspired that they too can live a life of virtue and that they can become saints,” he added. “It is not something that is out of reach for them if they are willing to build up virtue through acts of charity and the grace of the sacraments.” 

The canonization process is a lengthy one with many steps. A large part of the process is determining if the individual has miracles attributed to his or her intercession. The Church requires one verified miracle for beatification, after which the individual is referred to as a “blessed.” After this, another verified miracle is needed for canonization, at which point the person becomes a “saint.”

null / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome, Italy, Sep 4, 2025 / 06:05 am (CNA).

A Catholic evangelization movement in Slovakia has grown from its local parish roots to international recognition, employing 30 full-time ministers and drawing thousands of people to worship concerts across central Europe. But the effort faces opposition from some clergy and Catholic faithful who question its Protestant-influenced methods. 

The Godzone Project, launched in 2009 by the SP community (which stands for “Silné Posolstvo” in Slovak, meaning “strong/powerful message”) together with bishops in Slovakia’s Banská Bystrica Diocese, combines rock music, multimedia effects, and contemporary worship styles to engage young Catholics in a country where church attendance has declined since the fall of communism in 1989.

From a small Slovak town to the world stage in Rome 

In 2023, approximately 25,000 people participated in the Godzone Project’s flagship project — a series of worship concerts that were held in cities across Slovakia and the Czech Republic. A few bishops spoke at the events, including apostolic nuncio to Slovakia Archbishop Nicola Girasoli.

CNA spoke to Godzone after their concert at the Festival of Unity and Hope during the Jubilee of Youth held July 28 to Aug. 3 in Rome.

“We offer a hand especially in evangelization and strive to ensure that young people find a community where they can receive a deeper formation and be more grounded. We also work on the spiritual and personal formation of the young so they can help their parish by leading a group,” a Godzone representative said.

The Godzone Project is also part of the Global 33 ecumenical campaign that is bringing together more than 200 leaders from across the globe and to prepare for Jubilee 2033, which will mark 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Navigating tensions and misunderstandings 

Slovakia remains a predominantly Catholic country in Central Europe, boasting a significant number of young priests. Following the fall of communism in 1989, modern trends such as secularization and a decline in church attendance became apparent.

Two decades ago, a group of friends with a passion for Christ founded the SP community. Bishop Marián Chovanec of the Diocese of Banská Bystrica, where the SP community resides, wrote that “it respects the spiritual authority of the pastors of the Church and submits to it, thus the Church and our office protect it.”

In 2009, their “Projekt Godzone” was created within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia under the Section for Youth and Universities.

Yet Godzone did not win the hearts and minds of all. Traditional ways of living one’s faith still matter to many of the faithful, some of whom are suspect of new styles and methods of evangelization. The new evangelization efforts has been criticized for its “big, flashy, perfunctory” shows as well as the use of what some consider “Protestant evangelizing elements and slogans.” A few dioceses do not permit the project to operate within their territory. 

It’s hard to say whether more resistance comes from within the Church or outside of it, Július Slovák, the leader of Godzone, said in an earlier interview with this article's author.

“We never said that we are the only way, that we are the chosen. We offer this path and live it as honestly as we can,” Slovák said. Therefore, “if God or a higher authority tells us to end this service and take up another means, we will do it, since the project is not our identity.” 

Slovák invited those who are seekers, or who do not like them, to visit their headquarters and not to believe “alarmist news or fake interpretations.” 

New offerings for kids, young families

Over time, the project has diversified its offerings, collaborating with various artists and combining classical music, rock, rap, and dance; employing audiovisual effects, merchandising, social media, and podcasts. It launched Godzone Kids for young families and the Godzone Conference, featuring lectures and talks. It boasts of having hundreds of local leaders and small prayer groups.

The project has moved into neighboring country Czech Republic due to the similarity of language and culture, although Czech society is traditionally skeptical of Catholicism. Several Czech dioceses have invited the faithful to participate in the concerts.

“It is known for high-quality performances,” reads the website of the Archdiocese of Olomouc, and “besides excellent Slovak and Czech artists, a large team of volunteers helps the Godzone tour every year, whereas the tour is mostly financed by donations.”

Slovák told CNA how, in his experience, youth can be draw to the faith: “We ourselves should have the desire to proclaim Christ’s good news and not keep it for us. The more firmly we decide to walk with Christ and in the community of believers, the more we allow God to transform us with his love, the more the desire burns to be shared with others.”

Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis on display. / Credit: Courtesy of Milagro Eucarístico Perú, 1649

CNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 05:17 am (CNA).

From the finger of St. Thomas to the arm of St. Jude to the miraculous blood of St. Januarius and the Shroud of Turin, the Catholic Church is home to a plethora of relics. To an outsider, the tradition of venerating relics may seem strange; however, the roots of the practice are found in Scripture as well as in the ancient tradition of the Church.

Below are 10 of the most asked questions pertaining to relics and their veneration.

What is a relic?

A relic is a physical object that had a direct association with a saint or with Jesus Christ. The word relic derives from the Latin word “relinquere,” which means “to abandon or leave behind.”

What are the different classes of relics?

Traditionally, relics can be broken down into three classes: first, second, and third. 

First-class relics are the body or fragments of the body of a saint, such as pieces of bone or flesh. An example of a first-class relic would be the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas or the bone of St. Jude Thaddeus. Pieces of the cross on which Jesus was crucified are also considered first-class relics.

A second-class relic is an item that a saint touched or owned, such as a shirt or book, or fragments of these items.

Third-class relics are items that a saint has touched or items that have been touched to a first-, second-, or another third-class relic. For example, touching the first-class relic of St. Bernadette Soubirous’ bones with your own personal rosary would make your rosary a third-class relic.

Additionally, a 2017 decree on relics identified the difference between “significant” and “nonsignificant” relics.

The decree defines a significant relic as “the body of the blesseds and of the saints or notable parts of the bodies themselves or the sum total of the ashes obtained by their cremation.” 

These relics are preserved in properly-sealed urns and are to be kept in places that guarantee their safety and respect their sacredness. 

“Little fragments of the body of the blesseds and of the saints as well as objects that have come in direct contact with their person are considered nonsignificant relics,” the decree states. 

These are also preserved in sealed cases “and honored with a religious spirit, avoiding every type of superstition and illicit trade.”

How are relics authenticated?

The process of authenticating a first- or second-class relic begins with the certification from a bishop or cardinal. In many cases the relics belong to the diocese to which the saint belonged. 

Then, especially for first-class relics, the item must be scientifically proven to be human remains along with other criteria. This is done to ensure that fake relics are not being venerated by the faithful.

There is no process for formally recognizing third-class relics.

Why do Catholics venerate relics?

Catholics venerate the relics of saints as a way to honor the saint’s inspiring way of life and bold faith. As Catholics, we strive to become saints ourselves and are encouraged to imitate the lives of the saints in our own daily lives.

St. Jerome, a great biblical scholar, said: “We do not worship relics, we do not adore them, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the creator. But we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore him whose martyrs they are” (“Ad Riparium,” i, P.L., XXII, 907).

The veneration of relics is a Catholic practice of honoring the extraordinary work God did in a person’s life — a person who has achieved the highest level of holiness in the Catholic Church.

Is relic veneration biblical?

Yes. There are several instances in the Bible where individuals are healed by touching an item. 

In 2 Kings 13:20-21, the corpse of a man is touched to the bones of the prophet Elisha and the man comes back to life. In Matthew 9:20-22, the hemorrhaging woman is healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. People were healed and evil spirits were driven out when handkerchiefs from the apostle Paul were placed on these individuals as is written in Acts of the Apostles 19:11-12. 

Can relics perform miracles?

It is important to understand that while relics may be used in many miracles that are mentioned, the Catholic Church does not believe that the relic itself causes the miracle; God alone does. The relic is the vehicle through which God may work, but God is the cause for the healing. 

Any good that comes about through a relic is God’s doing. But the fact that God chooses to use the relics of saints to work healing and miracles tells us that he wants to draw our attention to the saints as “models and intercessors” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 828).

Is it OK to own a relic?

Ideally a relic should be kept in a church or shrine where it can be made available for public veneration. However, the Church does not forbid the possession of relics by laypeople. They may even be kept in homes. Additionally, the Church no longer issues relics to individuals — not even clergy. The Church will only issue relics to churches, shrines, and oratories. 

Can I buy or sell relics?

According to canon law of the Catholic Church, the sale of first- and second-class relics is strictly forbidden. Relics can only be given away by their owners, and some very significant relics, such as a heart, arm, etc., cannot be given away without the permission of the Vatican.

Where can I see or venerate relics?

Relics are housed all over the world in different churches and shrines. For example, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is home to an estimated 1,200 relics. In Venice, Italy, St. Mark’s Basilica houses the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist. Catholics can venerate relics of the true cross at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem in Rome. 

Relics will also go on tour to churches across cities throughout the world in order for the faithful to have an opportunity to venerate them.

Are there relics of Jesus or Mary?

There are no first-class relics of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven. However, the most well-known second-class relic that is believed to have been Mary’s is her veil, which is kept in Chartres Cathedral in France.

The case is similar for Jesus. While there are no bodily relics of Christ, who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, there are fragments of the true cross, a fragment of the holy manger in which Jesus was placed after he was born, and fragments of black-and-white stone that are said to be from the pillar on which he was scourged.

The stamps of saints-to-be Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati will be worth 1.35 euros ($1.60) each. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 04:10 am (CNA).

The young faces of Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991–2006) and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) will be immortalized in special stamps issued on the occasion of their canonization. The canonization ceremony will be presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 7, in St. Peter’s Square.

To pay tribute to these two young witnesses of the Gospel, the Postal and Philatelic Service of the Governorate of Vatican City State, in collaboration with the postal authorities of Italy, the Republic of San Marino, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, have prepared a special issue of commemorative stamps, according to the service’s website.

One of the stamps depicts the portrait of Pier Giorgio Frassati painted by artist Alberto Falchetti (1878–1951), a member of the Frassati family. The other shows a photograph of Carlo Acutis wearing a red shirt and carrying a backpack, taken during a school trip to Mount Subasio, near Assisi, shortly before his untimely death from fulminant leukemia.

The Vatican Postal and Philatelic Service will issue 60,000 of the Acutis stamp and 50,000 of the Frassati stamp in collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprises, the San Marino Post Office, and the official postal service of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with a face value of 1.35 euros ($1.60) each.

Special postmarks

In addition, two postmarks have been created to commemorate the canonization, reflecting the saintly lives of these two young men. The postmark for Acutis graphically reproduces the photo on the stamp, along with the symbol of the Eucharist with the monogram of Christ. The Frassati postmark features his signature and the inscription “Verso l’alto” (“to the heights”), which he wrote on a photo of himself scaling a mountain a month before his death.

For Acutis, in addition to the stamp, a special commemorative folder has also been issued as well as official first-day envelopes and the postmark from the “day of issue” at a cost of 10 euros ($11.66).

The new stamps and folder will be available for sale immediately after the canonization at the post office on St. Peter’s Square and at all Vatican post offices the following day.

The issuing of the new stamps seeks to underscore the power of the two young men’s Christian witness.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

“I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did,” said U.S. Vice President JD Vance following his visit with parents and victims of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. The Vances are shown here outside the church during their Sept. 3, 2025, visit. / Credit: Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:39 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Minneapolis on Wednesday to meet with victims and families of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that occurred last week. 

The Vances visited the church sanctuary, which is the site of the shooting that claimed the lives of two children and left more than 20 wounded. The pair stopped outside the church to observe the memorial and leave bouquets of flowers.

A spokesperson for the vice president said Vance held a private meeting with the parents of the two children who were killed, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel. Mike and Jackie Moyski and Jesse and Mollie Merkel met with Vance, Father Dennis Zehren of Annunciation Catholic Church, and Matt DeBoer, the principal of Annunciation Catholic School. 

The Vances also traveled to Children’s Minnesota Hospital to visit with some of the victims who are still in recovery, including Lydia Kaiser. Vance later spoke on the phone with Weston Halsne, another victim recovering from surgery who was not yet well enough to be visited in person when Vance was there. 

‘I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did’

“We should talk more about these kids. We should talk less about the shooter,” Vance said to reporters at the airport following the visit. “I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did.”

When asked about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s call for a special legislative session to consider new gun laws, the vice president said: “I’m not going to tell the Minnesota lawmakers or the governor exactly how they should respond to this tragedy. I think that … there’s a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so that these shootings are less common.”

“I think that it’s important that they actually take steps that are favorable, that are going to work. But besides that, I’m not an expert in Minnesota law,” Vance said. “I would just say, ‘Take the concerns of these parents seriously.’ I think all of us, Democrat, Republican, and independent, want these school shootings to happen less frequently. Hopefully there’s some steps that we can take to make that happen.”

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CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

A new report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that 1% of individuals aged 13 and older in the United States — approximately 2.8 million people — now identify as transgender, with younger generations significantly more likely to identify as such compared with older age groups.

According to the report, 0.8% of U.S. adults, or over 2.1 million people, identify as transgender, while 3.3% of youth aged 13 to 17 — roughly 724,000 people — identify as transgender.

The findings, drawn from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021–2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 2021 and 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), provide the most comprehensive data yet on transgender youth, particularly from the 2023 YRBS.

The BRFSS, which began offering states the option to ask about transgender identity in 2014, saw 41 states include the question in at least one year from 2021 to 2023, up from 19 states in 2014. 

The gender identity distribution among transgender adults is roughly evenly split: about one-third identify as transgender women (biological men), one-third as transgender men (biological women), and one-third as transgender nonbinary.

The study found the distribution to be consistent across U.S. regions and states, with no significant variations noted in the 2021–2023 data compared with earlier years.

Younger age groups more likely to identify as transgender

The data highlight an obvious generational trend: younger age groups are far more likely to identify as transgender than older ones, and individuals who identify as transgender are younger on average than the broader U.S. population. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, 2.7% identify as transgender, compared with just 0.3% of those aged 65 and older, a statistically significant difference.

Of those aged 13 and older who identify as transgender, 25.3% are youth aged 13 to 17 (up from 18.3% in prior estimates), 28.9% are young adults aged 18 to 24 (up from 24.4%), and 50.7% are aged 18 to 34. Overall, three-quarters (76%) of the transgender population aged 13 and older are under 35.

Gender ideology ‘isn’t going away’

Theresa Farnan, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center focusing on the challenges of gender ideology through the Person and Identity Project, told CNA these numbers seem accurate and problematic.

“In some ways, these numbers are shocking,” Farnan said, “and others, they don’t shock me at all. They actually seem kind of low.”

She cited a 2021 study at an urban school district that found nearly 10% of the students identified as transgender.

The numbers codify “significant problems,” Farnan said. 

“Gender ideology isn’t going away,” she continued. “There are 2.8 million people acting on this false anthropology, who have internalized it so much they don’t think their body tells them anything about who they are.”

Executive orders banning transgender medical procedures on children, while good, will not solve what she calls a “youth-driven problem.” 

In addition, policies promoting transgender ideology “will be right back in full force when a Democrat becomes president again,” she said.

State laws in conservative states “might not have teeth.” She pointed out that while such procedures are banned in Georgia, the law exempts procedures that are “lifesaving.”

“A doctor will just say these procedures are lifesaving!” she said.

“There are cultural factors pushing this” ideology, she said. “If we’re going to get serious at keeping people from these harms, we need to address it at all levels.”

Farnan cited a recent study that showed young people are still “reachable.” Almost 90% of college students surveyed said they felt pressured to say they held more progressive views than they actually did just to “virtue signal” in order to conform. Nearly 80% said they self-censored about their views on gender ideology.

Clear upward trend

The 2023 data shows a clear upward trend in transgender identification, particularly among youth (3.3% vs. 0.7% in 2017) and young adults (2.7% vs. 1.3% in 2016 for ages 18–24), compared with older adults (0.3% for ages 65 and older).

These numbers confirm a trend observed in Williams Institute reports since 2011, which have tracked the size and characteristics of the transgender population.

According to the report, the 2023 estimate of 1% (2.8 million) is a significant increase from 0.6% (1.4 million) in 2016 and 0.7% (1.8 million) in 2020. This represents a 100% increase from 2016 and a 56% increase from 2020 in the estimated number of transgender individuals. The rise is attributed to better data collection (e.g., 41 states in the 2021–2023 BRFSS vs. 19 in 2014) and increased willingness to identify as transgender, particularly among youth, probably due to changing cultural norms.

Farnan told CNA there are many risk factors leading to the increase in transgender identification, particularly among youth. “It very often co-occurs with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, attachment disorders, and sexual trauma” as well as “autism, parents’ mental health issues, and broken families.”

“Pornography use also plays a huge role, especially for boys,” she said.

It is also very difficult to extricate oneself from the trangender community once a young person has entered it, Farnan said. She referred to Robin Westman, the Minnesota man who killed two children and injured 21 more people, 18 of them children, last week. “If you express any doubts, everyone in that community turns on you,” she said.