St. Andrew Catholic Church

The “Alta Sartoria” Dolce & Gabbana fashion show took place July 15, 2025, on the pedestrian-only Sant’Angelo Bridge, found directly in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum later used as a papal fortress. / Credit: ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images

Rome Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

The Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana put a spotlight on a new design collection inspired by Catholic liturgical garb in a show on the Sant’Angelo Bridge in Rome last week, prompting a discussion about whether it is appropriate to use Catholic imagery for secular purposes.

The luxury brand called the fashion show, part of three days of showcases in the Eternal City, “an homage to clerical tailoring” with creations inspired by priests’ vestments and other ecclesiastical clothing, including “capes, trains, chasubles, dalmatics, soles, bodices, and bibs.”

Images from the July 15 catwalk depict designs with clear ties to traditional Catholic liturgical clothing, including white, lace shirts similar to a priest’s chasuble or the surplice worn by altar servers. While many of the 106 designs were all white or all black, some feature green, red, and purple — colors used by the Church to denote different liturgical seasons.

Dolce & Gabbana declined to give CNA permission to use images from the event, but the designs can be viewed at its website or on YouTube.

Crosses were heavily featured in the collection, and some models wore or carried what appeared to be Catholic objects such as rosaries, thuribles, and metal incense burners used at Mass and other liturgical celebrations.

The runway, lined with movie extras dressed as cardinals, also showcased less clerical- or papal-looking outfits, with white bodices made to look like marble sculptures of St. Peter and St. Paul, inspired by religious art.

“Every creation strikes a perfect balance between solemnity, devotion, discipline, and aesthetic as well as iconographic codes,” according to information from the fashion brand.

Theology student Nicola Camporiondo was not a fan of the fashion show, which he commented on in an Instagram story for his 12,800 followers.

The 19-year-old from Vicenza in northern Italy told CNA he thought Dolce & Gabbana’s use of ecclesiastical style was a “usurpation” of a spiritual and liturgical heritage for the purpose of entertainment and “a mere commodification of the sacred.”

“After the sacred has always been a monopoly of the religious, now fashion agencies are using it for their own worldly and profane purposes,” he said.

Camporiondo, who also shares Catholic content on TikTok, where he has 160,000 followers, said he hopes the show can prompt a reflection for the Church about how people still find traditional Catholic aesthetics fascinating, even while the number of practicing Catholics in countries such as Italy declines.

For Father Alberto Ravagnani, a 31-year-old priest of the Archdiocese of Milan, the Dolce & Gabbana show also prompted a reflection on the Church’s tradition of beautiful art and vestments, but he told CNA he was “very much in favor, I really liked it, because I actually believe it’s a way they’ve given value to tradition.”

The “Alta Sartoria” show took place on the pedestrian-only Sant’Angelo Bridge, found directly in front of Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum later used as a papal fortress. The monument is connected to the Vatican by a 2,600-foot-long raised corridor. Part of the Dolce & Gabbana show took place with St. Peter’s Basilica in the distant background.

The approximately 40-minute, invitation-only fashion show opened with what appeared to be an enactment of a religious procession, including men dressed like altar boys and carrying candles, incense, and small canopies often used for Eucharistic processions. 

While Ravagnani had not seen footage of that part of the event, he thought if a fashion house could help restore “luster, value, meaning, and allure” to a religious practice in decline — even if only for a moment and in a secular context — it might not be a bad thing.

The young priest, who is one of the most followed Catholic “influencers” in Italy, also asked his 250,000 followers on Instagram to share their thoughts about the Catholic-inspired Dolce & Gabbana show.

He said the vast majority of those who responded were against it. Some considered it an outrage to tradition or even blasphemous, while others associated it “with ostentation and wealth” rather than an image of the Church as poor, humble, and simple — but he disagreed.

“Indeed, when it is said that the Church today should be simple and humble, this is true, but it doesn’t mean it should be sloppy or ugly,” he said. “God gave us art, God gave us hands, God gave us intelligence and the ability to create things. And so this ability of men to create beautiful things is a way to collaborate in God’s work.”

Father Alberto Rocca, a priest of Milan who has collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana and was in attendance at the July 15 show in Rome, told CNA the designers’ use of Catholic symbols “pays homage to [the Catholic] tradition.”

“It would be very reductive to see it only as fashion and not as art,” he added, highlighting the craftsmanship of the brand’s clothing as a skill that has otherwise been all but lost from Italian culture.

As director of the Ambrosian Pinacoteca, a Milan art gallery, Rocca was an adviser for a Dolce & Gabbana exhibit with clothing pieces inspired by some of the museum’s paintings. He is also a member of an expert committee for the Venerable Ambrosian Library, which preserves cultural and religious patrimony.

The priest said designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana “have always used certain [religious symbols] because they are part of the Italian context and they are Catholics.”

Dolce & Gabbana declined a request from CNA to comment.

In addition to the show on Sant’Angelo Bridge, the three-day Roma 2025 haute couture event also planned to debut a Dolce & Gabbana jewelry collection in a July 13 show at Villa Adriana, a park at the site of a classical building complex in Tivoli, 18 miles east of downtown Rome, before being rained out.

On July 14, the Roman Forum, with extras dressed as Roman soldiers, was the venue for the unveiling of styles inspired by mythology, Ancient Rome, and Italian 1950s cinema.

The fashion event took place during the run of a Dolce & Gabbana art exhibition, “From the Heart to the Hands,” at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome, May 14 to Aug. 13.

The exhibit of one-of-a-kind creations, first mounted in Milan and Paris, features some of the brand’s most admired pieces from designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who founded the fashion house in 1985.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states within the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, at the Vatican Oct. 27, 2017. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Bangalore, India, Jul 24, 2025 / 11:35 am (CNA).

Christians in India recently urged the Vatican to respond forcefully to rising violence in the country amid a state visit by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states.

The Vatican said the prelate was visiting the country from July 13–19 to “strengthen bonds of friendship and collaboration.” Besides meeting church officials, Gallagher had an official meeting with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, on July 17 in New Delhi.

Describing the meeting as a “good conversation,” Jaishankar said in a post on X that the leaders discussed “the importance of faith and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts.”

On the same day, a memorandum drafted by the United Christian Forum was presented to Gallagher, one that documented a steady rise in anti-Christian violence under the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has headed the pro-Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for 11 years.

The Christian group appealed for “urgent intervention” by the Vatican to the rising incidents of violence and harassment targeting Christians across the country. 

The appeal said that 834 cases of violence and hostility against Christians were reported in India in 2024, up from 734 in 2023 and from 127 in 2014, when Modi took office. 

Though the Vatican envoy visited the Jesuit Vidyajyoti seminary in New Delhi, saying Mass and interacting with the theology students on matters of formation, dialogue, and other concerns, principal Father Rajkumar Joseph declined to provide details of the meetings, telling CNA that it was a “private visit.”

“Perhaps the all-round silence suits the government,” vocal lay Catholic leader John Dayal, based in New Delhi, told CNA on July 22.

Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash expressed disappointment over what he called the “Vatican tokenism,” arguing that atrocities against Christians should have been brought up in the discussion with the government.

The United Christian Forum memorandum cites allegations of “fraudulent conversion” as a primary reason for the rising violence against Christians, including the detention of hundreds.

The highest number of incidents in 2024, the group said, was reported from northern Uttar Pradesh (209), followed by Chhattisgarh (165) — both states ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP. 

Odisha state, which has been under BJP rule for a year, has also recently seen violence against Christians.

Dead bodies of Christians have been dug up for “reconversion ceremonies” and Christians have been prevented from burying their dead in tribal areas of Odisha. Meanwhile, two senior priests in the Sambalpur Diocese — including one in his 90s — were recently brutally attacked, tied up, and threatened with death if they returned for missionary work there.

Following a June 21 attack that injured 31 Christians of Kotamateru village in the Malkangiri district, with dozens of Christians also expelled from the village, the state witnessed a series of protests by Christians urging the government to act against the Hindu fundamentalists.

Blessed Carlo Acutis (left) and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. / Credit: Diocese of Assisi/Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Jul 24, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

Thousands of young people are heading to the Eternal City next week for the Jubilee of Youth, where they will have the opportunity to pray with the incorrupt body of Pier Giorgio Frassati and a first-class relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart.  

From July 28 to Aug. 3, Rome will be buzzing with musical performances, prayer vigils, and special events for young pilgrims from across the globe. One of the highlights will be the opportunity to venerate the relics of these two holy young men who are set to be canonized together by Pope Leo XIV in September.

The veneration of relics — physical objects associated with saints or Christ himself — has been part of Christian practice since the earliest days of Christianity, during the Apostolic age. First-class relics, such as bones or pieces of a saint’s body, are venerated as a tangible link to the saints who intercede from heaven.

Frassati festivities 

Frassati’s incorrupt body will be available for public veneration beginning July 26 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, located near the Pantheon. His tomb will be open to visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the morning of Aug. 4.

Youth volunteers from the JP2 Project, a U.S.-based Catholic nonprofit, will be on hand to accompany pilgrims in prayer at the basilica, where several Masses are scheduled. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney will celebrate Mass there at 11 a.m. on Aug. 4.

A separate event, “Night of Adoration with Pier Giorgio Frassati,” will take place from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Church of Piazza Farnese.

Organized by the JP2 Project, the evening adoration aims to foster reflection on Frassati’s spiritual legacy. His remains will be returned to his hometown of Turin, Italy, on Aug. 5.

The Carlo Acutis Center 

A few blocks away, the Church of San Marcello al Corso will host the “Blessed Carlo Acutis Center.” Acutis, a 15-year-old computer coder who died of cancer in 2006, is known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his efforts to catalog Eucharistic miracles. 

A first-class relic of Acutis’ heart will be available for veneration at the church, where visitors may also submit prayer intentions to be brought to his tomb in Assisi. The center opens at 10 a.m. on July 29 and closes at 9:30 p.m. on July 31. Daily Eucharistic adoration with the relic is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Evening events at the church on July 30 and 31 will include music, testimonies, and prayer. On July 29 at 11 a.m., young artist Johnny Vrba will present his 1,000-piece mosaic portrait of Acutis. An exhibit on Eucharistic miracles created by Acutis before his death will also be on display.

In addition to Acutis and Frassati, the jubilee will highlight other young people recognized for their sanctity.

On July 30, Jesus Youth International will host the Blessed Ivan Merz Center at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, featuring relic veneration, confession, youth talks, and an evening of Eucharistic adoration.

Merz, a Croatian intellectual and former soldier who promoted Catholic youth movements, died in 1928 at the age of 31. Also on July 30, the Basilica di San Crisogono in Trastevere will host a talk at 11:20 a.m. on Merz’s life.

At the Centro San Lorenzo, a youth center near St. Peter’s Basilica, pilgrims can learn about the Pier Giorgio Homeless Ministry and attend a gathering with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, the religious community of Sister Clare Crockett — a young Irish nun whose cause for canonization is underway.

That event, featuring prayer, adoration, and fellowship, will take place Wednesday afternoon, July 30.

The jubilee will also feature a self-guided “Young Saints Walk,” encouraging pilgrims to visit churches throughout Rome that house the relics of young saints.

Stops include St. Agnes, martyred at age 12; St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who died while caring for plague victims at 23; as well as St. Philip Neri and St. John Paul II, both remembered for their commitment to youth. The full walking route is available through the EWTN Travel app.

The poster for the presentation of the Pope Leo XIV tourist route in Peru. / Credit: ANDINA/Presidency of Peru

Lima Newsroom, Jul 24, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On the evening of July 21, the Peruvian government, led by President Dina Boluarte, presented “Leo’s Route” simultaneously from four regions in Peru. The project seeks to show the world 39 places related to Pope Leo XIV’s life in the country.

The presentation of the project, also known as “Paths of Pope Leo XIV,” took place in the regions of Lambayeque — where Robert Prevost, the current pope, was bishop of Chiclayo — in La Libertad, Piura, and Callao, where he served as apostolic administrator.

In Lambayeque — where Boluarte and the current bishop of Chiclayo, Edinson Farfán, were present — the president stated that “we have here a route that not only runs through streets or churches but also through the memory, faith, and hope of a people who never stopped dreaming and who today can proudly say that we have a Peruvian pope.”

Although Prevost was born in the United States, he became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015, when he was appointed bishop of his “beloved diocese of Chiclayo,” as he said in his first words to the world, speaking in Spanish, after being elected pope. He also recently updated his information to renew his DNI, the national identity document for Peruvians.

A few days ago, the minister of foreign trade and tourism, Desilú León, emphasized that “this is not just a religious route; it is an integrative project that combines together culture, infrastructure, services, faith, and identity. It is also a commitment to local development through tourism.”

In Lambayeque, the region where the city of Chiclayo is located, 22 tourist points of interest have been identified, organized into four circuits that combine religious, cultural, and natural heritage, such as St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Cross of Motupe, the Pómac Forest, and Pimentel Beach.

In Piura, there will be eight destinations, including St. Joseph the Worker Parish and the Holy Family Cathedral, both in Chulucanas, and the town of La Encantada.

In Callao, there are four destinations: the “Mother Church,” St. Rose Parish, the diocesan chancery, and the Carmen de la Legua district; while in La Libertad, there are five destinations, including St. Thomas of Villanova Convent and the Sts. Charles and Marcellus Major Seminary in Trujillo, where Pope Leo XIV was a professor.

Leo XIV arrived as a priest in Chulucanas in the Piura region of Peru in 1985. He returned to the United States and then came back to Trujillo in the La Libertad district, where he stayed for 11 years. In 2014, he returned first as apostolic administrator and then as bishop of Chiclayo; and years later, he also served as apostolic administrator of Callao.

For the first stage of this route, which has involved coordination with four regions and 20 municipalities, the government has allocated a total of 540 million soles (approximately $151 million).

“In a world with more than 7 billion inhabitants, there is only one pope, and that pope chose by his own decision to become Peruvian. Everything we do to showcase his work will always fall short of his greatness,” the minister stated.

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

Consultant Surgeon Andrew Ready and his team conduct a live donor kidney transplant at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on June 9, 2006, in Birmingham, England. / Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a sweeping reform initiative of the nation’s organ transplant system after a four-year investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) uncovered systemic ethical and safety violations. 

The violations discovered during the investigation, outlined July 21 in an HHS press release, showed “that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who called this “horrifying.”

“The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable,” Kennedy continued. “The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.” 

The investigation identified major problems with organ procurement processes, including poor neurologic assessments, inadequate coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases. Smaller and rural hospitals were found to be especially vulnerable.

Joseph Meaney, former president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said on “EWTN News Nightly” on July 22 that these problems are “extremely concerning” and that organ procurement processes have had “persistent flaws.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that organ donation after death “is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity.”

The donor or a proxy must consent, however, and organs cannot be removed until there is “moral certitude” a person is dead, Meaney said. “The Uniform Determination of Death Act says there has to be zero functioning in the brain to be able to declare a person brain dead … before any kind of vital organ donation process is initiated.”

The HRSA investigation was prompted by the troubling case of Anthony Thomas Hoover II. According to the New York Times, Hoover, now 36, was hospitalized four years ago in Kentucky for a drug overdose.

He was unresponsive for two days, and his family agreed to remove life support so his organs could be harvested.

A federally funded organ procurement organization (OPO) called Network for Hope (formerly known as Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates) began the process of procuring his organs even though he allegedly seemed to be improving. According to the Times, he was “thrashing on the bed” and subsequently sedated. 

Hospital staff became “uncomfortable with the amount of reflexes” the patient was exhibiting, and some began to call his organ procurement procedure “euthanasia,” though representatives of the procurement group told them it was not.

A physician refused to withdraw life support and continue with the organ procurement, despite pressure from the procurers. Hoover survived, though he suffers from neurological impairment.

The HRSA’s investigation of Network for Hope revealed 351 instances where organ donation was authorized but not completed. The results were alarming: 103 cases (29.3%) showed cause for concern, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.

Most disturbingly, at least 28 patients may not have been deceased when organ procurement began.

Network for Hope CEO Barry Massa said in a statement to CNA on July 22 that “patient safety is our top priority. Network for Hope looks forward to working collaboratively with HHS and HRSA and encourages the development of policies that support the betterment of the organ transplant system as a whole.”

Every state is served by one or more nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that work with hospitals to manage organ donations.

HRSA has directed the implicated OPO to strengthen its patient safeguards and has mandated rigorous corrective actions. These include a root cause analysis of its failure to follow protocols, such as the five-minute observation rule post-death, and the development of clear donor eligibility criteria.

The organ procurement organization must also establish a procedure allowing staff to halt donation if safety concerns arise. Failure to comply risks decertification, a move Kennedy has vowed to enforce.

Father Tad Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the NCBC, applauded the new procedure to halt the process due to safety concerns, telling CNA that it is “a very sensible safeguard.”

Brain death vs. circulatory death

The HHS investigation revealed that some OPOs actively seek cardiac, or circulatory, death donors rather than brain death ones.

The majority of organ donations come from patients who are determined to have suffered death by neurologic criteria, or brain death, and whose bodies are being sustained mechanically to preserve organ viability. Organ donation following circulatory death, however, has seen significant growth, driven in part by the increased demand for organ transplants and federal pressure on procurement groups.

Unlike brain death, where patients are determined to be in an irreversible state with no brain activity, circulatory death involves patients who are typically comatose and on life support. 

These individuals retain some brain function but are deemed unlikely to recover based on medical assessments, which can involve the subjective judgment of the doctors. 

Meaney said there are “question marks” surrounding organ donations that result from the determination of circulatory death, or what he called “cardiac determination,” telling EWTN there is no uniform time clinicians must wait after the heart stops. Hospitals establish the amount of time that can pass before clinicians can determine someone has circulatory death, generally around five minutes.

In some of these cases, Meaney said “the extraction of the organs is actually the cause of death” for the patient.

About 20,000 organs last year were procured after a patient was said to have undergone circulatory death, representing one-third of all donations in the U.S, according to the New York Times. This figure is three times higher than it was five years ago, reflecting a rising reliance on this method.

When families consent to organ donation, once the transplant teams have arrived, the hospital discontinues life support and monitors the patient in the operating room until his or her heart stops. While hospitals oversee patient care until death, once there is cessation of cardiac activity for a sufficient amount of time, specialized surgical teams affiliated with the OPOs are often brought in to proceed with organ retrieval, which must occur quickly to ensure organs remain suitable for transplantation.

One neurointensivist who spoke to CNA on the condition of anonymity described OPOs as “vultures” who, after they are informed by the hospital that a patient is moribund and may become a potential organ donor, “set up shop” in a hospital.

The HRSA investigation found that OPOs sometimes pressure families and medical staff to expedite the organ retrieval process.

The HRSA’s proposed reforms are critical to maintaining public trust in organ donation. 

About 170 million Americans are currently listed as organ donors, but the number may go down as trust declines. 

Pacholczyk told CNA: “Many of us would like to become organ donors, but we have questions, even doubts, about whether we can ‘trust the system.’ One of the more widely articulated concerns is whether organs will be taken before patients are properly determined to be deceased, leading many individuals to decide against checking the box on their driver’s license.”

“Given the significant internal and external pressures to procure organs for transplantation today, and given the fact that our society no longer fully esteems the value of every human life, our organ procurement organizations must be subjected to a process of transparent and independent review,” Pacholczyk said.

Catholic influencer Alex Jurado, who runs the social media ministry Voice of Reason (right), and Bishop Artur Bubnevych of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Alexandro Jurado; photo courtesy of Father Artur Bubnevych

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 17:43 pm (CNA).

A popular Catholic influencer has been barred from public events in his local Church amid investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bishop Artur Bubnevych of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix issued a statement prohibiting Catholic personality Alex Jurado — who runs the social media ministry Voice of Reason — from public events while he is under investigation for allegations of sexually grooming an underage teenage girl when he was 21 years old.

CNA first reported on the allegations against Jurado on July 15. The Protestant website Protestia published a report alleging that “whistleblowers within the Catholic community” had revealed sexually explicit texts Jurado allegedly sent to a girl possibly as young as 14 years old when he himself was 21.

The popular Catholic apologist has sharply denied allegations. The influencer said in a statement on his Instagram page that the claims were untrue and that he is “voluntarily cooperating in an investigation that will allow the truth to come to light.”

“​​[T]he accusation that I was having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl is a complete fabrication,” he said.

He added that he is “prepared to undergo legal action against those who have defamed me,” describing the allegations as an “awful and vicious rumor.”

On July 16, meanwhile, Bubnevych issued a statement to the clergy of his eparchy stating that Jurado, “a regular attendee at one of our parishes,” is prohibited from “any activity or involvement … occurring in any facilities of or events being sponsored by the Eparchy of Phoenix until further notice.”

“We will cooperate fully with any authorized investigations which may occur in this matter,” the bishop wrote in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by CNA. 

“We wish also to stress that our Safe Environment policies, which address the safeguarding and dignity of all persons, are taken most seriously and, with that in mind, I believe the action being taken is therefore warranted,” the bishop said. 

Amid the controversy, Catholic Answers, an apologetics nonprofit that produces the Catholic Answers Live radio show, removed a page featuring Jurado from its website. 

Jon Sorensen, chief operating officer at Catholic Answers, told CNA in an email that Jurado “has never been a staff member of Catholic Answers. He was an occasional guest on our radio program, ‘Catholic Answers Live,’ and, like all our radio guests, he had a profile page on Catholic.com.”

He added: “In light of the recent serious allegations about Alex, we have removed this profile from Catholic.com. We pray that the full truth may come to light, we pray for Alex, and we pray for everyone who may have been victimized, scandalized, or disedified by these reported events.”

Jurado has not responded to queries from CNA regarding the controversy.

Credit: Amanda Wayne/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2025 / 17:13 pm (CNA).

In the past year Florida has been the most successful state at protecting religious liberty through safeguards in the state’s statutes or constitution, while West Virginia has been the least successful, according to the fourth annual Religious Liberty in the States report from First Liberty Institute.

First Liberty — the largest legal organization in the U.S. dedicated solely to defending religious liberty — released its annual index ranking religious liberty protections for each of the 50 states. The report, conducted by the institute’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD), focuses on select legal safeguards of religious exercise in laws and constitutions.

The 2025 report was revealed on July 21 by the CRCD team at an event with Gov. Ron DeSantis to celebrate Florida holding the No. 1 spot for the first time since the research started.

“Florida holds several No. 1 rankings, leading the nation in education, economy, and tourism — and now, Florida is No. 1 in religious liberty,” DeSantis said at the event. “Religious liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right.”

The report assigns a percentage score to each state based on 47 legal protections that states have to protect religious liberty within six categories: government, health care, economic life, religious life, and family and education. These protections are aggregated into 20 “safeguards,” which researchers average to produce one index score per state. 

The analysis determined that Florida holds the top spot with an accumulated score of 74.6%. Montana (70.6%), Illinois (68.8%), Ohio (66.9%), and Mississippi (66.4%) make up the rest of the top five rankings.

In last place, for the third year in a row, is West Virginia with 19.6%. The state did make some progress by passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2023 but still holds the lowest score. Also in the bottom five is Wyoming (23.3%), Michigan (27.4%), Nebraska (29.1%), and Vermont (29.3%).  

The majority of the states fall within the 25% to 50% range, meaning there is “significant room for improvement.” CRCD’s researchers found that 38 states are capable of doing more as most states, on average, are employing “less than half of the safeguards measured to protect religious liberty.”

Since the 2022 Religious Liberty in the States report, Montana has improved the most. It has raised its score by about 31%, specifically due to recent legislation protecting rights of health care workers. 

Since 2024, Idaho has improved the most, due to new protections in the categories of health care and family. 

With the new research, First Liberty Institute and CRCD reported they hope “that legislators and concerned citizens will use our findings to identify ways their states can better protect religious liberty.”

null / Credit: maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church in Mexico called on Latin American society and authorities to care for the family, emphasizing that “protecting the family is protecting the future of our society.”

In a recent editorial in its weekly publication Desde la Fe (From the Faith), the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico City noted that the region is facing “a profound and silent demographic transformation, but at an accelerated pace, and its consequences are already being felt in the social fabric.”

The reflection is based on the study “Changes in Demographic Structures,” prepared by the Network of Latin American University Institutes on the Family, which examines new forms of family organization in the region.

According to the editorial, the report’s conclusions show that “birth rates are steadily declining, marriages are decreasing, divorces are increasing, single-person households are multiplying, and an aging population has ceased to be a distant threat and has become a palpable reality.”

Given this scenario, the archdiocese called for people to view the phenomenon not merely as a matter of numbers but as a reality “that profoundly transforms daily life, human relationships, and the very foundations of coexistence.”

“The family, understood as the primary nucleus of society, is the great protagonist — and also the greatest victim — of this transition. When bonds weaken, when loneliness replaces belonging, and when aging is not accompanied by structures of support and affection, the result is a more fragmented, more vulnerable, and less resilient society,” the editorial stated.

The archdiocese also highlighted that the data portray a region where “aging is occurring without sufficient generational offset and with increasingly fragile family ties” and warned that “the number of deaths now exceeds the number of births.”

The archdiocesan publication also warned that “without strong family structures — based on love, commitment, co-responsibility, and mutual care — the entire society deteriorates” and urged authorities to ensure that public policies “must treat the family as a social priority.”

Among the proposals, the editorial pointed to policies that “value life, that support responsible motherhood and fatherhood, that protect older adults without isolating them, that promote family reconciliation, and that strengthen ties between generations. Poverty prevention, mental health, comprehensive education, and digital inclusion cannot be designed outside the family: They must be nourished by it.”

The Archdiocese of Mexico emphasized that the demographic transition is not only a technical challenge but “a call to care for the family as a vision for the future. Today more than ever, protecting the family means protecting the future of our society.”

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

A picture shows a view of a damaged facade of the Holy Family Church on July 18, 2025, a day after it was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 17. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 16:13 pm (CNA).

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said a “deviation of munitions” led to the accidental strike on Holy Family Church in Gaza, an incident that resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries last week.

The July 17 strike claimed the lives of three civilians at the church and injured nine, including the pastor, Father Gabriel Romanelli. The church has served as a shelter for more than 600 people since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

Israeli officials said last week that the parish was “mistakenly” hit by IDF fire. In a statement on July 23, meanwhile, military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said an IDF inquiry showed the church was struck “due to an unintentional deviation of munitions.”

“The impact caused damage to the structure and injured several Gazan civilians,” Shoshani said. The statement did not mention the three deaths at the parish.

The IDF “directs its military strikes solely at military targets and works to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure as much as possible, including religious institutions,” the statement said.

The Israeli military “regrets any harm caused to civilians,” the statement added.

‘Grave dangers’

In a Wednesday statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said it learned of the results of the inquiry through media reports.

“The published findings of the investigation only underscore the grave dangers of conducting military operations in the vicinity of religious and civilian sites,” the statement said.

The findings “once again highlight the vital importance of upholding the principles of international humanitarian law.”

The Wednesday statement from IDF said the military has “facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medical equipment, and medication, to the Holy Family Church in Gaza,” though the patriarchate said on Wednesday that aid “has not yet been delivered” to the parish.

Aid workers would distribute food and medical supplies to the parish and surrounding neighborhoods upon being let into the area, the patriarchate said.

The bombing has greatly stirred tensions in a region already fraught with conflict, particularly in the nearly two years since Hamas invaded Israel, touching off a protracted conflict that has left tens of thousands dead.

Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, has often been at the center of media and international attention amid the conflict. It has provided shelter and aid to hundreds in the war-torn region.

Pope Francis made regular nightly calls to the parish in the roughly year and a half leading up to his death, with the parish children calling the Holy Father “grandfather.”

Though IDF issued an unprecedented admittance of error last week, Patriarchate Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stirred tensions further when he suggested to an Italian newspaper that the strike may have been made on purpose.

“They say it was an error. Even if everybody here believes it wasn’t,” the prelate said last week.

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on July 22 around 9 p.m. local time after spending more than two weeks at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. The Holy See Press Office officially confirmed the news to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, on July 23.

The pontiff spent a period of rest — July 6–22 — in the Italian town about 15 miles from Rome on the shores of Lake Albano. In addition to resting, the Holy Father also fulfilled several apostolic commitments.

One of the most significant events was the private meeting held on July 9 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made a special trip to Castel Gandolfo to meet with the pope. During the meeting — which took place within the context of the fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in the Italian capital July 10–11 — they discussed the humanitarian situation in the country and the role of the Holy See as possible mediator in the conflict. It was the first time a foreign president was received by a pope at this residence since the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

That same day, the pope celebrated Mass in the Castel Gandolfo gardens using the newly approved liturgy to promote global ecological awareness “for the care of creation.”

Pope Leo XIV also took the opportunity to rest, pray, and work on some personal texts.

The pontiff’s return to Rome coincides with the final preparations for the Jubilee of Youth, which will begin on July 28 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

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