St. Andrew Catholic Church

Professor Robert P. George speaks at the Heritage Foundation event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Pierce v. Society of Sisters on May 30, 2025. / Credit: Ronald Walters

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 3, 2025 / 11:01 am (CNA).

June 1 marked the 100th anniversary of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the landmark Supreme Court case that preserved Catholic education in America and established the foundation for present-day legal discourse on parental rights and school choice.

Decided on June 1, 1925, Pierce v. Society of Sisters blocked a proposed amendment to an Oregon statute that would have eliminated the rights of parents to enroll their children in private schools. The amendment, challenged by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, who ran parochial schools in Oregon, primarily targeted those schools and was notably backed by organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

The court’s natural-law based opinion, written by Associate Justice James Clark McReynolds, famously stated: “The child is not the mere creature of the state.”

“The natural law-rooted conception of the relationship between child and parent … is deeply rooted in our nation’s constitutional order,” preeminent legal scholar and moral philosopher Robert P. George said in a speech at a commemorative event sponsored by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., last week.

“[Pierce v. Society of Sisters] illustrates the fight to protect and preserve parents’ fundamental rights to direct their children’s upbringing and education,” George said, which “is nothing new when it comes to the American story.”

In his address, George referred to a current case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, where Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim parents are suing the Montgomery County, Maryland, Board of Education for not allowing them to opt their children out of course material that promotes homosexuality, transgenderism, and other elements of radical gender ideology.

The parents argue that the curriculum, which includes reading material for children as young as 3 and 4 years old, violates their First Amendment right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

“It is in cases like Mahmoud,” George continued, “that we see the real reason that progressives are so keen for organized institutions of the state, at least when they are dominated by ideological allies of social and cultural progressivism, to share, and eventually override, as Montgomery County sought to do by banning the opt-outs, parental authority with actual parents.”

Ultimately, George said he believes the Supreme Court will side with parents in Mahmoud v. Taylor “because the United States has a long tradition of articulating and upholding the natural law account of parental rights within our constitutional order,” as illustrated in the precedent set by Pierce.

“As we confront the challenges of today, fights such as that against Montgomery County’s LGBTQ indoctrination efforts, we must be courageous defenders of the truth about the rights parents legitimately maintain and exercise over their children,” George said. “These are not rights conferred by any merely human authority … They are natural rights.”

The Heritage Foundation event, titled “Pierce at 100: The Legacy of Pierce v. Society of Sisters,” also included panel discussions on legal issues regarding parental rights and school choice as well as on the state of private education. The panels featured legal experts including Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who argued on the parents’ behalf in the Mahmoud case. A decision is expected in late June or early July.

“Interestingly,” Baxter pointed out during the panel discussion, “Pierce arose in a period of high Catholic immigration,” when the Ku Klux Klan pushed for legislation to make Catholic immigrants “uniform.”

“You have that very same dynamic here,” he said, noting that many of the parents in the Mahmoud case are immigrants who came to the U.S. seeking freedom of religion, only to be “told that [they] have to adopt this very extreme view [of transgender ideology] in the United States.”

Bern, Switzerland. / Credit: SCStock/Shutterstock

CNA Deutsch, Jun 3, 2025 / 10:16 am (CNA).

In a landmark decision, the Swiss Catholic Women’s Federation (SKF) — the largest denominational women’s organization in the country with 100,000 members — has voted to remove the word “Catholic” from its name. The group will now operate as the Women’s Federation Switzerland, accompanied by the tagline “Surprisingly Different Catholic.”

Originally founded a century ago, the organization was established to preserve Catholic life in families, communities, and the state. It was also established as an alternative to the predominantly Protestant Swiss Federation of Women’s Associations.

As reported by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, the name change is driven by concerns regarding the public image of the term “Catholic.”

“As a Catholic umbrella organization, we consciously and repeatedly adopt positions different from those of the official Church,” Simone Curau-Aepli, the federation’s president, said of the change.

One concrete example of this is the SKF’s stance on homosexuality. Since 2001, the SKF board has advocated opening civil and ecclesiastical marriages to same-sex couples.

Manuela Winteler, head of the Bazenheid Women’s Community, maintained that “to save the ‘catholic’ in its original sense and the goals and values of the federation,” the word “Catholic” must disappear from the name.

She referred to the etymological meaning of “catholic,” which comes from Greek and means “all-embracing, total, universal.” This, she explained, signifies that the Church was “sent to all people,” not just to “members of the Roman Catholic denomination.”

The reasoning behind the name change drew criticism from Catholic organizations. Both the Cooperation Council of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (SBK) and the Roman Catholic Central Conference (RKZ) expressed regret about the requested name change. It remains to be seen whether the move will also have financial consequences. The SBK receives around 7% of its funding from the RKZ.

The move by the SKF raises questions about whether similar decisions to “rebrand” will be made by Catholic women’s organizations in neighboring Germany and Austria. However, an analysis of current discussions suggests that the major Catholic women’s associations in both countries intend to maintain their religious name despite undergoing reflection processes.

German associations currently reject name change

The two largest Catholic womens’ organizations in Germany have ruled out renaming themselves in the manner of the Swiss. With approximately 265,000 members, the Catholic Women’s Community of Germany (Katholische Frauengemeinschaft Deutschlands, KFD) and with about 145,000 members, the Catholic German Women’s League (Katholischer Deutscher Frauenbund, KDFB), currently see no reason to remove “Catholic” from their names.

Agnes Wuckelt, deputy federal chairwoman of the KFD, stated that removing the “K” from the association’s name is not an issue at the federal level. Despite similar experiences to the SKF, the KFD is “proactively addressing” this by advocating strongly for women’s issues within the Catholic Church, she said.

The KDFB, however, described the name change of the Swiss women as an “understandable strategic decision,” without announcing any plans to rename their organization.

Instead, both associations instead are focusing on redefining what “Catholic” should mean in their context.

The KFD has expressed this intention for several years with the concept of “differently Catholic.” Birgit Kainz, KDFB regional chairwoman, explained: “We in the KDFB call ourselves ‘Catholic’ but understand ourselves not just as a Roman Catholic but as a Christian association.”

Austrian situation remains unchanged

With around 170,000 members, the Catholic Women’s Movement of Austria (Katholische Frauenbewegung Österreichs, KFB) has not yet made any efforts to change its confessional designation. Unlike the German associations, there are no documented public discussions about a possible name change. 

The Austrian KFB is organized as a lay Church organization within the framework of Catholic Action, making it structurally more closely tied to Church hierarchies than its German sister organizations. This organizational integration may explain why discussions about abandoning “Catholic” in the name have not yet taken place publicly.

Pope Leo XIV addresses 159 cyclists before they take a noncompetitive ride around Vatican City on the day of the last leg of the international Giro d’Italia multistage bicycle race on June 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

Vatican City, Jun 3, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday blessed the cyclists of the Giro d’Italia before the last leg of the multistage international race, telling them they are all welcome in the Catholic Church.

Addressing the 159 cyclists in a square just inside Vatican City, the pope said in English: “May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d’Italia. Congratulations to all of you, and may you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican, you are always welcomed by the Church, which represents God’s love for all people.”

In a short address in Italian, Leo praised cycling as an important sport, reminding the world-class athletes that they are models for many young people.

“And I hope that, just as you have learned to care for the body, the spirit too is always blessed, and that you are always attentive to the human being as a whole: body, mind, and spirit,” he added.

The professional race, which started in Albania on May 9, is among the top three most important international multistage races in the world, together with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. It includes 21 stages, mostly in Italy.

The last leg of the 108th edition of the race took place on June 1, starting from the Caracalla Baths, just south of the Coliseum, and proceeding toward the Vatican.

The 1.8-mile noncompetitive ride through the Vatican started from the Petriano Square, just south of St. Peter’s Basilica inside the city state, where Pope Leo XIV greeted the athletes at the starting line.  

The cyclists then followed the Vatican walls past the basilica to climb toward the Vatican Gardens and arrive at the heliport, the highest, westernmost point of the territory.

The racers then pedaled through a green space dotted with Marian images, including a replica of the Lourdes grotto and a mosaic of Our Lady of Good Counsel — a favorite devotion of Pope Leo. 

After descending toward the Vatican Museums and the “Square Garden,” the cyclists doubled back along the rear of St. Peter’s Basilica to exit out a side gate on the south side of Vatican City.

Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver. / Credit: Denver Catholic

Denver, Colo., Jun 2, 2025 / 18:27 pm (CNA).

Every Sunday afternoon since Oct. 7, 2023, a peaceful group has gathered for a vigil walk in downtown Boulder, Colorado, to remember the Israeli hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas. 

This past Sunday, as they marched past local shops and restaurants in the city’s outdoor Pearl Street Mall, eight participants in the group’s activity were firebombed in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.

In the wake of the June 1 attack, the archbishop of Denver, Samuel Aquila, called for an end to anti-Jewish violence and urged the faithful to join together in prayer for the victims.

“I’m deeply saddened this evening to hear of the attack in Boulder, especially as it seems our Jewish brothers and sisters were targeted,” Aquila said in a statement released June 1. 

A suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd, yelling “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to law enforcement.

Four women and four men ages 52 to 88 were taken to the hospital with burns and other injuries after the attack. 

“This type of violence must come to an end as it only fuels hatred,” Aquila said. 

The attack closely followed the killing of two Israeli embassy employees — a young couple soon to be engaged — in Washington, D.C., just weeks ago. 

The Boulder attack suspect, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was booked in the Boulder County Jail on multiple felony charges, according to the City of Boulder. 

An FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed to the attack, telling the police he had planned it for a year and that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.” 

After being taken into custody, Soliman reportedly told the police he would do it again. 

In addition to the two Molotov cocktails that Soliman threw into the crowd, investigators found more than a dozen unlit Molotov cocktails as well as weed sprayer filled with gasoline, according to the FBI affidavit. 

An Egyptian citizen, Soliman entered the country on a B2 visa in August 2022 and filed for asylum the following month. He remained in the country even though his visa expired in February 2023, according to Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel described what happened as a “targeted terrorist attack” and said the federal agency is “fully investigating” it as such.

In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump pledged to prosecute the perpetrator “to the fullest extent of the law.” 

“My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy and the great people of Boulder, Colorado!” Trump continued. 

The mayor of Boulder, Aaron Brockett, decried the attack in a statement, saying that the city would “stand strong together.”

“Know that the Jewish community has my full support and the support of the entire Boulder community,” Brockett said. 

“Please join me in praying for everyone affected by this horrific attack,” Aquila said. “We ask the Lord to bring comfort, healing, and peace in the face of such hatred.” 

“May we listen to the voice of God, who calls us to love one another!” Aquila concluded.

Cardinal Francis Leo of Toronto was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 2, 2025 / 18:07 pm (CNA).

Archbishop of Toronto Cardinal Francis Leo called on the faithful to honor the most Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the month of June rather than “using symbols that are contrary to God’s divine revelation.” 

“This year the solemnity of the Sacred Heart is commemorated on June 27, though the entire month is dedicated to this long-standing and much appreciated devotion in the Church,” Leo said in a statement. 

The month of June is a time to reflect on Jesus’ “loving, burning, sacrificial, and life-giving heart,” which Leo called “one of the most profound and enduring symbols in Catholic devotional life.”

For Catholics, symbols “help us to deepen our faith and shape our prayer life, not to mention the lives we lead and the choices we make,” the cardinal said. “They are like bridges joining together the material and spiritual worlds and reveal to us the Gospel truths.”

The month of June is also recognized in many cities around North America as “Pride Month.” Thousands of people gather throughout June to hold parades and parties that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. 

Leo called on the faithful in Toronto to use symbols this month that “are consistent with our Catholic faith and not borrowed from ideological fora, promoted by lobby groups and endorsed by political movements.” 

He said: “We ought to honor and respect our traditions and not compromise the integrity of the faith by using symbols that are contrary to God’s divine revelation.”

“We do good to use our own symbols to tell our own story without resorting to trendy, misguided, and inadequate symbols that do not represent us as Catholics but rather contribute to confusion, distortions, and ambiguities about what the Catholic faith truly teaches regarding the human person, human nature, and natural moral law.” 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, which depicts “Christ’s physical heart, pierced and surrounded by thorns calling to mind his suffering and imbued with the inextinguishable flame of his love is ultimately the only symbol we really need,” Leo said.

“It is important for us to remember that the Sacred Heart does not merely refer to Jesus’ physical heart but to his entire interior life — his will, emotions, thoughts, desires, and love. It signifies the love that motivated the Incarnation, Our Lord’s earthly ministry, his passion, and ultimately the offering of himself on the cross for the redemption of the world.”

“Finally, during this month of June, I would encourage you to take time to renew your consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Leo said. “If you haven’t already consecrated yourself, your family, and household to the most Sacred Heart, please consider doing so.”

Pope Leo XIV exits the Sistine Chapel following a June 2, 2025, ceremony commemorating the life and legacy of Blessed Iuliu Hossu. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 2, 2025 / 17:37 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV recalled the life and legacy of Cardinal in Pectore Iuliu Hossu, a Romanian Greek Catholic bishop, “pastor and martyr of the faith during the communist persecution in Romania,” who was commemorated Monday in the Vatican and who saved thousands of Jews from death during World War II.

“We have gathered today in the Sistine Chapel to commemorate, in the jubilee year dedicated to hope, an apostle of hope: Blessed Cardinal Iuliu Hossu, Greek Catholic bishop of Cluj-Gherla,” said the Holy Father at the beginning of his address at the commemoration ceremony for the cardinal, who died 55 years ago on May 28, 1970.

“Today,” Pope Leo continued, “he enters this chapel after St. Paul VI, on April 28, 1969, named him cardinal in pectore (in secret) while he was in prison for his fidelity to the Church of Rome.”

Hossu’s appointment as a cardinal was not known until 1973, three years after the death of the cardinal in pectore, according to Vatican News.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the pope can create a cardinal in pectore, a designation known only to him and the cardinal. He does not acquire the rights of a cardinal until it is publicly announced. If the pope dies before this is known, he does not become a member of the College of Cardinals.

‘Righteous among the nations’

In his remarks, Leo XIV emphasized that this year the cardinal is especially remembered, as he is “a symbol of fraternity that transcends any ethnic or religious boundaries. His recognition process as ‘Righteous Among the Nations,’ which began in 2022, is based on his courageous commitment to supporting and saving the Jews of Northern Transylvania when, between 1940 and 1944, the Nazis implemented the tragic plan to deport them to the extermination camps.”

The title of “Righteous Among the Nations” is awarded by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination at the hands of the Nazis.

Action in the face of the ‘darkness of suffering’

Leo XIV then recalled a passage from a 1944 pastoral letter written by the blessed martyr in which he stated: “Our appeal is addressed to all of you, venerable brothers and beloved children, to help the Jews not only with your thoughts but also with your sacrifice, aware that today we can accomplish no nobler work than this Christian and Romanian aid, born of ardent human charity. The first concern of the present moment must be this work of relief.”

“Cardinal Hossu, between 1940 and 1944, contributed to saving thousands of Jews from death in northern Transylvania. The hope of the great shepherd was that of the faithful man, who knows that the gates of evil will not prevail against the work of God,” the Holy Father continued.

After emphasizing that he was a man who lived “prayer and dedication to others,” Pope Leo recalled that Pope Francis beatified Hossu on June 2, 2019, in Blaj, Romania — along with six other martyred bishops — and highlighted a phrase from his homily that belonged to the bishop and cardinal: “God has sent us into this darkness of suffering to forgive and pray for the conversion of all.”

For Pope Leo XIV, the phrase “remains today a prophetic invitation to overcome hatred through forgiveness and to live the faith with dignity and courage.”

‘A courageous and generous man, even to the point of supreme sacrifice’

The pope also emphasized that “Cardinal Hossu’s message is more timely than ever. What he did for the Jews of Romania, the actions he undertook to protect others, despite all the risks and dangers, show him as a model of a free, courageous, and generous man, even to the point of supreme sacrifice.”

“Therefore, his motto, ‘Our faith is our life,’ should become the motto of each one of us.”

After encouraging Hossu’s example to be “a light for the world today,” Pope Leo XIV finally exclaimed: “Let us say ‘no’ to violence, to any violence, even more so if it is perpetrated against defenseless and vulnerable people, such as children and families!”

Who was Iuliu Hossu?

Iuliu Hossu was a Greek Catholic bishop and cardinal in pectore. He was born on Jan. 30, 1885, in Milas.

In 1904, he began his theological studies at the College of Propaganda Fide in Rome. In 1906 and 1908, he earned doctorates in philosophy and theology, respectively. On March 27, 1910, he was ordained a priest.

According to Vatican News, on March 3, 1917, he was appointed bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Gerla in Transylvania. In 1930, the eparchy changed its name to Cluj-Gherla, moving its center to the city of Cluj Napoca. There was a period of occupation there between 1940 and 1944.

On Oct. 28, 1948, Hossu was arrested by the communist government and taken to Dragoslavele. He was later transferred to the Orthodox Monastery of Caldarusani and in 1950 to the Sighetul Marmatiei Penitentiary. In 1955 he arrived at Curtea de Arges, in 1956 at the monastery of Ciorogarla, and finally back to Caldarusani.

In August 1961, he wrote this in prison: “I have not been able to take away your love, Lord; it is enough for me: I ask your forgiveness for all my sins and I thank you with all my being for all that you have given me, your unworthy servant.”

Hossu was deprived of all freedom until his death on May 28, 1970, at the Colentina Hospital in Bucharest, where his last words were: “My battle is over; yours continues.”

Vermont State House, Montpellier, Vermont. / Credit: Nick Beer/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 2, 2025 / 17:07 pm (CNA).

Under pressure from a lawsuit challenging a 2023 law restricting life-affirming pregnancy centers, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill repealing those restrictions, allowing the centers to continue providing medical services, including abortion pill reversal.

Vermont — one of the most pro-abortion states in the country — has no laws restricting abortion. But the 2023 law created a category of “limited-services pregnancy centers,” defined as such because they do not provide or refer clients for abortions.

The state threatened the centers with fines up to $10,000 for advertising in a “misleading” way, though the law did not specify what the state meant by the word “misleading.” 

These clinics could be fined for advertising their existence and for bringing awareness to chemical abortion reversals. 

The law alleged that some clinics falsely advertised that they offered abortion or abortion counseling when they did not. It also prohibited any advertisements that the state considered to be “untrue or clearly designed to mislead the public about the nature of services provided,” including chemical abortion pill reversal. 

Many life-affirming clinics promote chemical abortion reversal, in which the naturally occurring hormone progesterone can be taken to reverse the effects of the first abortion drug mifepristone. 

In July 2023 the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and other pregnancy resource centers sued state officials for restricting the centers’ freedom of speech and provision of services. 

“The state of Vermont has backed away from attacking the work of pro-life pregnancy centers,” said NIFLA Vice President of Legal Affairs Anne O’Connor. “Pregnancy centers are no longer under direct threat from the law and pro-abortion lobby in Vermont.” 

While O’Connor “celebrates” the change, she added that the group “stands ready” to defend pro-life pregnancy centers “if in the future the state again decides to unconstitutionally” restrict their work.

State officials have targeted life-affirming pregnancy centers across the country, including in California and New York, for advertising abortion pill reversal.  

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — the legal nonprofit defending the life-affirming pregnancy centers — announced the dismissal of the case in a press release last week. 

ADF Legal Counsel Julia Payne Koon applauded the change to the “discriminatory law that unlawfully targeted faith-based pregnancy centers and restricted their ability to speak and act according to their conscience.” 

“Pregnancy centers must be free to serve and empower women and their families by offering the support they need without fear of unjust government punishment,” Payne Koon said. 

“Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should know they have life-affirming options available to them, from emotional support to practical resources, which is exactly what our clients offer,” she said.

Pope Leo greets pilgrims during the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly on Sunday, June 1, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2025 / 16:09 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday said Christian families are called to be missionaries of the Gospel to new generations, especially in light of a widespread “privatization” of faith preventing many people from approaching the Church.

In the Holy Father’s message to participants of a June 2–3 seminar organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life on the theme “Evangelizing with the Families of Today and Tomorrow: Ecclesiological and Pastoral Challenges,” he said the Church needs to be farsighted in discerning the needs of parents and children often caught up in “worldly concerns” or misled by “illusory lifestyles.”

“Sadly, in the face of this need, an increasingly widespread ‘privatization’ of faith often prevents these brothers and sisters from knowing the richness and gifts of the Church, a place of grace, fraternity, and love,” Pope Leo shared in his June 2 message.

“As a result, despite their healthy and holy desires, while they sincerely seek ways to climb the exciting upward paths to life and abundant joy, many end up relying on false footholds that are unable to support the weight of their deepest needs,” he continued.

With a “maternal concern” for all Christian families, the pope said it is the responsibility of the Church — bishops and the laity — to reach out to families who are “spiritually most distant from us” and become “fishers of families.”

“‘Fishers’ of couples, young people, children, women, and men of all ages and circumstances, so that all may encounter the one Savior,” he said. “Through baptism, each one of us has been made a priest, king, and prophet for our brothers and sisters, and a ‘living stone’ (1 Pt 2:4) for the building up of God’s house.”

“I ask you, then, to join in the work of the whole Church in seeking out those families who no longer come to us, in learning how to walk with them and to help them embrace the faith and become in turn ‘fishers’ of other families,” he added. 

Addressing his concern that many young people are choosing cohabitation instead of marriage, the Holy Father said couples need guides who can reveal “the beauty and grandeur” of the vocation to love and service through Christian marriage and the gift of family. 

“In reality [they] need someone to show them in a concrete and clear way, especially by the example of their lives, what the gift of sacramental grace is and what strength derives from it,” he said. 

“Similarly, many parents, in raising their children in the faith, feel the need for communities that can support them in creating the right conditions for their children to encounter Jesus,” he continued.

Despite difficulties and problems families face, Pope Leo said spreading “the gospel of the family” is a mission that can only be sustained by prayer and an encounter with Christ.

“Consequently, if we want to help families experience joyful paths of communion and be seeds of faith for one another, we must first cultivate and renew our own identity as believers,” he said.

“May the Holy Spirit guide you in discerning criteria and methods that support and promote the Church’s efforts to minister to families,” he continued. “Let us help families to listen courageously to Christ’s proposal and the Church’s words of encouragement!”

Listeners of Spirit Catholic Radio sparked an initiative to place billboards featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus along Interstate 80 through Nebraska “to share a message of love, hope, and faith with everyone who passes by.”  / Credit: Spirit Catholic Radio

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 2, 2025 / 15:44 pm (CNA).

Drivers heading through Nebraska this summer should expect to see more than just traffic and highways — they should also anticipate catching a glimpse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Listeners of Spirit Catholic Radio sparked an initiative to place billboards featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus along Interstate 80 through Nebraska “to share a message of love, hope, and faith with everyone who passes by.” 

Spirit Catholic Radio, an affiliate of EWTN Radio network, announced that it is kicking off the campaign in June to mark the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

“This campaign came straight from the hearts of our listeners,” Jim Carroll, executive director of Spirit Catholic Radio, said in the announcement. “They had the desire to share Christ’s love more publicly, and they made it happen through prayer and generous support.”

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus goes back centuries,” Spirit Catholic Radio reported in a press release. “It’s rooted in the Christian belief that God’s love isn’t abstract — it’s personal. Saints like St. Gertrude the Great and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had deep spiritual experiences centered on this love, often describing the Heart of Jesus as a source of peace, mercy, and transformation.”

The Sacred Heart, depicted by a pierced heart on fire surrounded by a crown of thorns, has been an important image for Catholics as it represents Jesus’ love, compassion, and sacrifice.

The Nebraska billboards will have an image of Jesus with open arms and the Sacred Heart across his chest along with the words “June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and “Jesus is king.” 

“We hope these billboards spark curiosity,” Carroll said. “Even if someone isn’t familiar with the Sacred Heart, we want them to know: This love is for you, too.”

The billboards will be visible in high-traffic areas including along I-80 and in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas.

Whether people are commuting to work, driving home, or traveling through Nebraska, thousands are expected to see the billboards daily with the intent to offer them “reflection and spiritual inspiration.”

Karol Nawrocki, presidential candidate of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), speaks to supporters following the Polish presidential runoff election on June 1, 2025. / Credit: Marek Antoni Iwaczuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 2, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

In a tightly contested runoff election, nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidency with 50.89% of the vote, narrowly defeating Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s 49.11%, according to final results announced Monday. 

Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer, ran on a platform emphasizing traditional Catholic values and cultural and political conservatism. He has vowed to maintain close ties between the Polish government and the Catholic Church, saying he views faith as a cornerstone of national culture. 

During the campaign, Nawrocki made headlines by publicly shredding a copy of “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” signaling his staunch opposition to progressive social policies. He has pledged to veto any legislation liberalizing Poland’s strict abortion laws or introducing same-sex civil unions, citing the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexual ethics and the need to protect traditional family structures. 

“Poland’s strength lies in its faith and family values,” Nawrocki declared at a campaign rally, framing his presidency as a defense against secular influences.

His conservative stance contrasts sharply with Trzaskowski, who campaigned on progressive reforms, including abortion law liberalization, support for LGBTQ+ civil partnerships, and deeper European integration.

Nawrocki is expected to use his presidential veto to block Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European Union, reformist legislative efforts. 

The Polish presidency, while largely ceremonial, wields significant influence through its veto power, which requires a 60% parliamentary majority to override — a threshold Tusk’s coalition lacks. This dynamic echoes the tenure of outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS (Law and Justice Party) ally who consistently thwarted Tusk’s attempts to reverse PiS-era judicial reforms.

Poland’s president is elected to a five-year term through a two-round voting system, with a runoff between the top two candidates if no one secures a majority in the first round. Presidents may serve up to two terms. Duda’s second term ends on Aug. 6, when president-elect Nawrocki will be sworn in to office.

The election, the closest in Poland’s post-communist history, underscores the country’s deepening political divide. Early exit polls had predicted a Trzaskowski win, while the actual results ended up reversing those projections. Exit polls also showed that younger voters leaned toward Nawrocki in the runoff.

Nawrocki’s win has broader implications for Poland’s role in Europe. His opposition to strengthening EU ties and Ukraine’s NATO membership sets him apart from Trzaskowski’s pro-EU platform.

Nawrocki has expressed strong opposition to illegal immigration, advocating for policies that prioritize Polish citizens and reject EU-driven migration frameworks.

“My Poland is a Poland without illegal migrants,” he said during his campaign.

Conservative European leaders celebrated the result, with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán calling it a “fantastic victory” and France’s Marine Le Pen, deputy of the French National Assembly, praising it as a rejection of the “Brussels oligarchy.” 

Nawrocki attended the National Day of Prayer at the White House last month, posing for photos with President Donald Trump, who supported Nawrocki’s presidential bid.

At a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Poland last week, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also strongly endorsed Nawrocki.

“I met with Karol, and let me be clear: He must be Poland’s next president. Are we on the same page?” Noem declared.

“You need to choose the right leader,” she continued. “You can be the ones to steer Europe back toward conservative values.”