St. Andrew Catholic Church

Pope Leo’s message was received with a standing ovation. / Credit: Knights of Columbus/Screenshot

Washington D.C., Aug 5, 2025 / 19:37 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV extolled the work of the Knights of Columbus in a prerecorded message for the Catholic fraternal organization’s 143rd Supreme Convention, which is being held in Washington, D.C., Aug. 5–7.

“I commend your efforts to bring together the men in your communities for prayer, formation, and fraternity, as well as the many charitable efforts of your local councils throughout the world … which brings hope and healing to many and continues the noble legacy of your founder,” Leo said in his message. 

The Holy Father specifically commended the Knights of Columbus for their “generous service to vulnerable populations, including the unborn, pregnant mothers, children, those who are less fortunate, and those affected by the scourge of war.”

Leo tied his message to the convention’s theme “Heralds of Hope,” which was chosen to reflect the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which was promulgated by Pope Francis.

The pontiff said that the Jubilee Year of Hope “encourages the universal Church and indeed the entire world to reflect on this essential virtue, which Pope Francis described as the desire and expectation of good things to come despite or not knowing what the future may bring.”

“As Catholics, we know that the source of our hope is Jesus Christ, and he has sent his followers in every age to bring the good news of his saving paschal mystery to the entire world,” the Holy Father said. “The Church has always been called to be a sign of hope through the proclamation of the Gospel in words as well as in actions.” 

Leo added that during the holy year, Catholics “are called to be tangible signs of hope to those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind,” noting that the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Michael McGivney, “understood this well.”

“He saw the many needs of immigrant Catholics and sought to bring relief to the poor and suffering through his faithful celebration of the sacraments as well as through fraternal assistance … which continues on to this day,” the pontiff said.

Leo said the convention theme is an invitation to members of the Knights of Columbus “to be signs of hope in your local communities, parishes, and families.” 

Standing ovation

Leo’s message was received with a standing ovation from the attendees, and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly called the pontiff’s remarks “deeply encouraging.”

“The Knights of Columbus, each of us, is proud to stand with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” Kelly said.

“In his first homily, he called Catholics to missionary outreach and at his Mass of inauguration, it felt like he was speaking directly to the Knights of Columbus,” Kelly continued. “He centered his message on love and unity and he urged us to build fraternity — charity, unity, fraternity, these are the principles that define us, and the Holy Father has told us to take them to everyone we encounter.”

During his speech and report to the convention, Kelly spoke about the charitable work of the Knights of Columbus, including efforts in war-torn countries like Ukraine and relief provided to people suffering from natural disasters. He also spoke about the growth of the Knights, the organization’s support for clergy formation, and its outspoken support for the unborn. 

At the conclusion of the report, attendees recited a prayer for Pope Leo XIV, asking God to “preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the Earth” and that “the Lord not hand him over to the powers of his enemies.” 

“Look down, in your mercy, upon your servant, Leo, whom you have appointed to preside over your Church; and grant, we beseech you, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting.”

Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata during the final Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 16:16 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV encouraged the participants of the Medjugorje youth festival to unite the flames of their hearts so that this fire may illuminate their journey and their pilgrimage toward God, who calls them and, in some cases, has raised up in them the desire to serve him through the priesthood or consecrated life.

This is the first message from Pope Leo XIV addressed to the Medjugorje Youth Festival and also the first from a pontiff to this event since, in September 2024, the Vatican — with the approval of Pope Francis — recognized the pastoral validity of the spiritual experience of Medjugorje, without pronouncing on the supernatural authenticity of the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary, venerated there as Queen of Peace.

“We Will Go to the House of the Lord!” is the theme of the 36th Medjugorje youth festival, being held Aug. 4–8. The event takes place just after the heavily attended conclusion of the Jubilee of Youth in Rome, when more than a million people participated in the final Mass with Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata on Aug. 3.

In his message, released Aug. 4 by the Vatican press office, the Holy Father explained that the festival’s theme “tells us of a journey, of a desire to move towards God, towards his dwelling-place, where we can truly be at home, because he awaits us there with his love.”

And on this journey, he continued, it is God himself who accompanies each person, since “on the path of life, no one walks alone.”

“Our paths are always intertwined with those of others: We are made for encounter, for walking together, for discovering together a shared goal,” the Holy Father said.

Pope Leo then highlighted a thought from St. Augustine: “Let us go, let us go! They thus speak to one another and, kindling, as it were, one another, they form a single flame. And this one flame, born of the one speaking, communicates to the other the fire with which it burns.”

In this regard, the Holy Father exclaimed: “What a wonderful image! No one walks alone: We incite each other, we kindle each other. The flames of hearts unite and become one great fire that lights the way. You too, young people, are not lonely pilgrims. This road to the Lord is traveled together.”

The challenge of artificial intelligence

Speaking about artificial intelligence, Leo XIV emphasized that “no algorithm can ever substitute an embrace, a glance, a true encounter, neither with God, nor our friends, nor our family.” 

“Think of Mary. She too set out on an arduous journey to meet her cousin Elizabeth. It was not easy, but she did it, and that encounter gave rise to joy: John the Baptist rejoiced in his mother’s womb, recognizing the living presence of the Lord,” he pointed out.

“You have come to Medjugorje from many nations, and perhaps it seems that language or culture is an obstacle to encounter: take courage. There is a language stronger than any barrier, the language of faith, nourished by God’s love,” the pontiff emphasized.

After encouraging them to encounter and truly know one another, Pope Leo XIV added: “Along the way, if any of you feel within the calling to a special vocation, to the consecrated life or the priesthood, I encourage you not to be afraid to respond.”

“That invitation, which you feel vibrate within, comes from God, who speaks to our hearts. Listen to him with confidence: Indeed, the word of the Lord not only makes us truly free and happy but also authentically fulfills us as men and as Christians,” the pope said.

Entrusting the young people to “Mary, mother of Christ and our mother,” Pope Leo concluded: “May the Holy Virgin encourage you and guide you along the way, to become proclaimers of peace and hope. From my heart I impart upon all of you my apostolic blessing.”

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

Pope Leo XIV approaches Tor Vergata in Rome by helicopter on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 15:46 pm (CNA).

Roughly 1 million young adults from around the world filled the streets of Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, which took place July 28 to Aug. 3, part of the yearlong Jubilee of Hope. Each day was filled with different opportunities and events for the young people to experience the richness of the Catholic faith.

Here are some of the best moments from the Jubilee of Youth:

Pope Leo XIV arrives by helicopter at Tor Vergata

On Aug. 2, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by the largest crowd he has addressed during his pontificate so far for the evening vigil at Tor Vergata, an outdoor venue 10 miles east of Rome. An estimated 1 million people were in attendance. The Holy Father arrived by helicopter and then drove through the grounds on the popemobile, waving to the cheering young people before the prayer service began.

Pope Leo XIV carries the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope

After the Holy Father from the popemobile greeted the young people in attendance, he carried the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope on foot from the crowd up to the 15,000-square-foot stage for prayers and Eucharistic adoration.

Despite the sweltering heat, the Holy Father carried the cross with energy — so much so that a video of Pope Leo walking briskly with the cross and the words “Life goals: Climbing the stairs like Pope Leo at age 69” went viral with over a million views.

Some of the comments on the post included: “The American Midwest grind on display,” “imagine having Pope Leo as a workout buddy,” “the stairmaster of holiness,” and “his personal trainer must be proud.”

Eucharistic adoration with Pope Leo XIV

The evening vigil concluded with Eucharistic adoration led by the Holy Father. Many were moved by the stillness and silence of all those in the presence of Christ.

Pope Leo also imparted on the faithful gathered the Eucharistic Benediction. At the conclusion of the evening, he advised the young people gathered who would be camping for the evening to “take it easy” and “rest a bit. We have a date tomorrow morning here for holy Mass.”

Bishop Robert Barron speaks at U.S. National Pilgrim Gathering

U.S. Bishop Robert Barron urged young people to follow God and reject worldly goods, calling on youth to “find their mission” and pursue the Lord “into the depths” during the keynote address at the Jubilee of Youth’s National U.S. Pilgrim Gathering on July 30.

He also gave those in attendance a powerful reminder of how the Catholic Church has outlasted the test of time.

“Where are the mighty signs of Roman power? Think of the Colosseum. Think of the Forum. Think of the Palatine Hill. Think of the Circus Maximus. What are they? They’re ruins,” he said.

“But where’s the great empire that was announced by Peter the Apostle?” he continued. “It’s all over the world, on every continent. It’s alive. And where is the successor of Peter who was put to death in the Circus of Nero and buried away on the Vatican Hill? Where’s his successor?”

“I saw him last night, didn’t you? Riding around St. Peter’s Square,” the bishop said to thunderous applause. 

Over 1,000 Korean Catholics gather for Jubilee of Youth

As the Catholic Church in South Korea prepares to host World Youth Day — scheduled for Aug. 3–8, 2027 — over 1,000 Korean Catholics from the Archdiocese of Seoul were in attendance at the Jubilee of Youth. On Thursday, July 31, the delegation participated in a Mass at the Basilica di San Crisogono presided by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung.

Following Mass there were celebrations, socializing, and ice cream outside the church. The cardinal bought a whole ice cream truck for the Korean youth and volunteers to freshen up in the hot Roman sun.

Open-air confession at Circus Maximus

On Friday, Aug. 1, the Circus Maximus — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — was transformed into an open-air confessional for thousands of young pilgrims to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Two hundred confessionals were set up from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rome time.

Rainbow appears in the sky when Pope Leo arrives at Tor Vergata

While more than a million young people waited for Pope Leo to arrive for the prayer vigil on Aug. 2, an unexpected sign appeared in the sky. Despite there not being a single drop of rain, a rainbow appeared in the sky above the young people gathered as the Holy Father was arriving.

Father Francisco Javier Bronchalo, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain, wrote in an Instagram post of a video he took showing the rainbow in the sky: “It’s not raining, the sun is shining, but there was a rainbow when the pope arrived ... Then it disappeared. Impressive, God does not break his covenant. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Pope Leo’s surprise popemobile ride after welcome Mass

Pope Leo XIV thrilled the young crowds with a surprise ride on the popemobile after the welcome Mass of the Jubilee of Youth. He went beyond St. Peter’s Square and greeted the pilgrims by continuing down Via della Conciliazione, a street that connects St. Peter’s Square to the Castel Sant’Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River.

Closing Mass with Pope Leo

The Jubilee of Youth concluded on Aug. 3 with a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo on the 237-acre grounds of Tor Vergata, where more than a million young pilgrims had spent the night following a prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration.

In his homily, Pope Leo invited the pilgrims to open their hearts to God and venture with him “towards eternity.”

Evoking St. John Paul II, the founder of World Youth Days, he proclaimed: “Jesus is our hope.”

“It is he, as St. John Paul II said, ‘who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives ... to commit … to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal,’” Leo said.

Remembering Jubilee 2000 at Tor Vergata 25 years later

In 2000, Pope John Paul II celebrated World Youth Day at Tor Vergata with over 2 million young people. Despite being physically weak at the time, the beloved Polish pope made a connection with those in attendance. Twenty-five years later, it was Pope Leo who made a connection with the new generation of young Catholics. The similarities between the two events were unmistakable, and many of those who were in attendance in 2000 now watched along as their children attended the Jubilee of Youth.

On an Instagram post made by CNA, one user commented: “I was at Tor Vergata in 2000. Now my son is at the Jubilee of Youth. The Church is alive.”

Another wrote: “Attended WYD in 2000. Life-changing. Emmanuel — the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

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

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 15:16 pm (CNA).

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has announced that it will donate $25,000 toward the reconstruction of Holy Family Church in Gaza in the wake of the July 17 missile attack that left three dead and 15 wounded, including the parish priest, in addition to structural damage to the only Catholic church in the area.

“We are deeply saddened by the deaths, injuries, and structural damage at the Holy Family Church in Gaza and stand in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters,” group CEO Ted Deutch said in a press release.

“We pray for the full recovery of the injured and the safety of all peoples affected by the devastation of war,” Deutch said.

The global Jewish advocacy group, which is headquartered in New York City, said in the release that the funds will be distributed to the Gaza parish through the Archdiocese of New York with the help of Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

“We appreciate AJC’s expression of consolation and support and are thankful for the opportunity to do good as Jews and Catholics together in this way, to bring some light to the darkness of war,” Cardinal Dolan said.

The organization expressed gratitude to Dolan and the New York Archdiocese as well as the Catholic Near East Welfare Association for its help “in enabling AJC to do what is right and consistent with Jewish values.”

The group recalled when the archdiocese was part of an interreligious coalition that donated funds to help rebuild homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

“In the wake of this tragedy, we want to be there for Catholic partners who have been there for the Jewish people in our times of need. Together, as Christians and Jews, we can affirm the shared humanity of all,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, the committee’s director of interreligious affairs.

The donation comes after the Israeli military said Holy Family was “mistakenly” hit during an Israeli strike on July 17. Three individuals — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, 60; Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, 84; and Najwa Abu Daoud, 70 — were fatally wounded by shrapnel that scattered across the compound after the strike, and 15 were injured. 

Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the parish, was among those injured during the strike. He described the damage to the church to “EWTN Noticias” in an exclusive interview on July 24, calling the incident a “shocking experience.”

“Shrapnel flew in all directions,” he recounted. 

Holy Family 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.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 5, 2025 / 14:46 pm (CNA).

Results of a new Gallup poll reveal that Americans have a much more favorable view of Pope Leo XIV than a number of other prominent U.S. and global figures.

The polling company surveyed 1,002 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error was 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The participants were asked from July 7–21 if they have a “favorable” or “unfavorable” opinion of 14 figures making headlines in the news.

The results of the survey found that Americans have the most positive image of Pope Leo XIV among the newsmakers, with the majority (57%) reporting they have a “favorable” perception of him.

Pope Leo also had the lowest “unfavorable” rating with only 11%, 23 percentage points behind the second most “favorable” figure, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The rest of the participants reported they are either not familiar enough with Pope Leo to have an opinion (18%) or have not heard of him (13%).

Pope Leo had an overall net-favorable score of 46, well ahead of the other most favorable leads including Zelenskyy, who had an 18-point net score — 28 points behind Pope Leo; and Bernie Sanders, who had an 11-point score, 35 points less than the pope.

Pope Leo’s positive figures closely match Pope Francis’ ratings when he first assumed the role of pope in 2013. He was viewed favorably by 58% of participants and unfavorably by 10%. The results are also similar to Pope Benedict’s in 2005, which were 55% favorable and 12% unfavorable.

The Gallup reports found that all three pontiffs earned above-average support from American Catholics in their initial ratings, with Pope Leo viewed favorably by 76%, Francis by 80%, and Benedict by 67%.

Pope Leo does differ from his predecessors in that his favorable rating is higher among liberals (65%) than conservatives (46%), whereas Benedict and Francis were viewed more favorably by conservatives than liberals in their initial ratings. 

Among the other global figures Americans were asked about, the poll noted that French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, are viewed about as equally positively as negatively, with many Americans reporting they have no opinion of each.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (-5) was found to have a slightly negative perception, whereas Elon Musk (-28) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (-23) received more drastic negative results.

Some newsmakers rated more negatively than positively, including former president Joe Biden (-11), Vice President JD Vance (-11), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (-11), U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (-12), President Donald Trump (-16), and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-16).

Overall, the first American-born pope has a large appeal in the United States. Unlike the political figures in the poll, he is viewed more favorably than unfavorably by all political parties but is liked more by Democrats than by Republicans. 

The poll is a part of Gallup’s “Social Series” that examines long-term U.S. trends on social, economic, and political topics by monitoring U.S. adults’ views.

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd at the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2025 / 14:16 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit to Ignacio Gonzálvez, a 15-year-old Spanish boy who had been urgently admitted to Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome after collapsing during the Jubilee of Youth.

Upon learning of Ignacio’s situation, Pope Leo XIV asked the thousands of young people gathered for the Aug. 2 vigil at Tor Vergata to join in prayer for him.

“I would like to ask for your prayers for another friend, a young Spaniard, Ignacio Gonzálvez, who has been admitted to the Bambino Gesù Hospital. Let us pray for him, for his health,” the visibly moved pontiff said.

Ignacio’s parents, Pedro Pablo and Carmen Gloria, along with his siblings Pedro Pablo Jr. and Adela, traveled to Rome immediately upon receiving the news.

On the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 4, according to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV personally visited Ignacio in his room in the intensive care unit. The young pilgrim has been diagnosed with lymphoma affecting his respiratory tract.

As reported by Vatican News, the Holy Father entered silently as the young man’s family prayed at the foot of his bed and simply joined them in prayer. The family had their eyes closed at the time, and a priest accompanying them had to nudge them when he saw the pontiff cross the threshold unannounced.

The youth’s sister, Adela, 17, described Pope Leo XIV as “a simple man” and said the Holy Father was with them for about half an hour before visiting other patients in the hospital’s oncology ward. “I was crying and praying when he entered Ignacio’s room. I went in crying and came out laughing,” she said.

During the time spent with Ignacio’s family, Pope Leo XIV reminded them that “we are made for heaven.” Pedro Pablo, the young man’s father, said they all found solace after the pontiff’s visit.

“He told us that the important thing is to do God’s will, that our true place is eternal life in heaven. This comforted us, because we are people who try to live our faith and know that’s the truth. And in times of so much suffering, hearing the pope come and give you such a word is ... the best thing that could have happened to us,” he told Vatican News.

His mother, Carmen Gloria, shared that Pope Leo told her: “If Ignatius had come to Rome [from Spain], that he could come to the hospital to see him. They were simple words, but full of affection.”

“The pope told us that this is a mystery and that, despite many things we don’t understand, we know that God is there and wants the best for everyone. As a mother, I saw that Jesus Christ drew close to me and said, ‘You’re not alone.’ That’s what the pope’s presence in the hospital meant to me, the confirmation that God has not abandoned us,” she added with emotion.

Ignacio’s family said they find comfort and hope despite their pain and are grateful for the gestures of closeness. “It’s the work of the Holy Spirit. We are nothing, a family like many others... And to see so many people praying, so many people concerned, and that the pope himself should come, is a great consolation. We know that God is with us,” Carmen Gloria said.

Ignacio’s brother, Pedro Pablo Jr., emphasized that the pope had helped them accept God’s will: “He listened to us at all times, he was truly concerned, he gave me the feeling of someone who truly understood the situation and the pain we are experiencing. [He has] great empathy.”

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

Father Andreas Frick (left) and a CRS official during the SECAM plenary assembly in Rwanda held July 30 to Aug. 4, 2025. / Credit: ACI Africa

ACI Africa, Aug 5, 2025 / 13:11 pm (CNA).

Overseas development agencies, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Misereor — the development agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Germany — have pledged their continued support for the Church and civil organizations in Africa amid foreign fund cuts as perpetrated by their native countries.

In solidarity messages with Catholic bishops in Africa during the 20th plenary assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the leadership of CRS and Misereor urged the bishops to support Church-based fundraising initiatives to fund development projects.

In his message during the July 30–Aug. 4 assembly held in Kigali, Rwanda, the director general of Misereor, Father Andreas Frick, regretted that the agency’s financial means are currently decreasing.

“Our work is funded by private donations as well as Church and public funds,” Frick said. “Since 2023, the German government has been cutting down the funds from tax revenues that are made available to the Churches for development cooperation purposes.”

Frick, of Germany’s Diocese of Aachen, added that the donations from German parishes have also been decreasing. With the decrease of funds in parishes and government cuts in taxes, he said, “we have to reduce Misereor’s financial commitments.”

For this reason, Frick told SECAM members: “It is thus all the more important that you support fundraising efforts in your local Churches. Misereor is already proactively raising this topic in our dialogue with partners.”

“At the same time, we want to reassure you that even with reduced financial means, Misereor will continue to cooperate with the Church and civil society in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” he said at the five-day assembly.

Frick said that even if the organization is crippled financially, it will still offer support, explaining: “Cooperation is not merely of a financial nature; we will continue to cooperate well and in a future-oriented way.”

“Together, we should stand by the poor — independent of their ethnicity, gender, or religion — and work towards a better life for all with justice, peace, and integrity of creation,” he said. “Cooperating with the Church and civil society in Africa, Asia, and Latin America will continue to be at the core of Misereor’s mandate.”

Even amid increasing challenges, Frick said, “it is all the more important to firmly hold on to the Gospel for all people and to trust in the message of Jesus of peace for all people.”

“The least we as Church and civil society actors can do is to remain at the side of the poor and marginalized, to jointly decry injustices, and to create room for dialogues to strengthen justice and peace, however difficult the situation,” he said.

SECAM’s 20th plenary assembly, under the theme “Christ: Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace,” dedicated its efforts to building on what the 19th plenary assembly — held in July 2022 — mandated Africa’s Catholic bishops to accomplish.

In a separate Aug. 1 solidarity message to the Catholic bishops in Africa, the leadership of CRS, the humanitarian arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, thanked SECAM for the continued fraternal relationship, especially during the abrupt funding cut by the Donald Trump-led U.S. government.

The CRS leadership said the “new orientation brought about by the suspension of donations has significantly impacted organizations like ours that benefited from state subsidies.”

Acknowledging with appreciation the spiritual and financial support of partners, U.S. Catholics, and people of goodwill, the leadership of CRS said: “Our organization will continue to fulfill its part in accomplishing our joint mission of fostering the integral development of our peoples, contributing to a more just and more united world.”

Even amid financial constraints, CRS reaffirmed its “unconditional attachment to the values of Catholic social teaching” and pledged commitment to “always deliver quality service to all our brothers and sisters in humanity.”

“The African continent is, and will remain, one of our priorities. We assure you that we will continue, within the limits of available means, to support the Church of the continent through SECAM and its regional and national ramifications, with which we have developed very good collaboration,” CRS said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

From the Irish College building in Salamanca, the Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca. / Credit: Patrick J. Passmore

Dublin, Ireland, Aug 5, 2025 / 12:28 pm (CNA).

On Aug. 4, 1936, the last seminarians at the Irish College in Salamanca, Spain, were put on a British Navy destroyer from the Irish College’s summer coastal retreat in Pendueles in Asturias, northern Spain. The Spanish Civil War had escalated, and for their safety, the students were evacuated, never to return.

The evacuation began a sequence that led to the eventual closure of the Irish College in 1951, ending a rich tradition of Irish clerical training and formation in Spain stretching back to the late 1500s.

The Real Colegio de San Patricio de Nobles Irlandeses in Salamanca was the foremost Irish College on the Iberian peninsula and the last to close. It boasted an impressive roll of honor. 

In 1595, the first seminarians registered at the Irish College in Salamanca, which was founded by Jesuit Father Thomas White. The documents establishing the college included direct intervention by King Philip of Spain and a papal bull from Pope Clementine, demonstrating the value they placed upon Ireland and its Catholic people.

“Sometimes the brighter men were chosen to go abroad to study,” Jesuit historian Father Fergus O’Donoghue told CNA. “There was also that important thing of doing some of your priestly formation in a country that spoke another language.”

The eventual closure in 1951, brokered by General Francisco Franco and agreed upon by the Irish bishops and the Spanish Church, meant the Irish College property returned to Spanish ownership. Funds from lands sold went to the Irish College in Rome, and valuable college archives dating from 1595 were transferred to St. Patrick’s Maynooth in Ireland. The elegant building that housed the Irish students, the Colegio del Arzobispo Fonseca, is now part of the University of Salamanca.

Art Hughes, professor of Irish at Ulster University, told CNA: “In Ireland, in the late 16th century, there was a political upheaval and a religious upheaval. Although the Spanish tried to help the Irish, the defeat at Kinsale and the flight of the Earls to Europe was the beginning of the end and a very turbulent decade for Gaelic Ireland.”

“The English did not allow priests to be ordained in Ireland. So we had this network of more than 30 Irish Colleges in Europe at one time — one of the main ones was in Salamanca, very near the Spanish court. These colleges formed a massive nexus of scholarship; for example, one significant outcome was the printing of the first Irish-language book in 1610, a catechism.” 

For 20th-century Salamanca seminarians, O’Donoghue explained, the brand of teaching and formation was different from Maynooth.

“So you studied theology out of a manual; you’d have a manual for moral theology, a manual for fundamental theology, and so on. And then Scripture was studied in what we would consider a very old-fashioned way,” he explained.

O’Donoghue said he believes that despite the Spanish turmoil, Irish bishops would have supported the Irish College on historical grounds. “Then with so many seminaries founded in Ireland, the idea of sending people to Salamanca or Paris became less practical or necessary,” he said.

Father Alexander McCabe, a Cavan, Ireland-born priest who studied at the college, was college rector from 1936 until its closure. During that time, he worked assiduously to keep the college buildings intact, preserve its function as a place of learning, and placate a range of temporary residents from Franco’s officials to Nazi diplomats to SS propagandists. 

McCabe’s “Salamanca Diaries” are the subject of an insightful biography by Irish author Tim Fanning.

“Undoubtedly, McCabe was the right person to steer the Irish College through the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War and the difficult postwar years that followed. He was deliberate, unemotional, and was a shrewd judge of character,” Fanning said.

“He was able to ward off various different institutions which hoped to lay their hands on the college in the 1930s and 1940s. However, the Irish bishops were not committed to retaining the link with Salamanca, and he was unable to reopen it to students. His tragedy was that he spent nearly the whole of his rectorship in the college without students.”

“I would have thought that those priests who studied at Salamanca would have had a broader view of the world than Maynooth would have given them,” Fanning added. “In his diaries, McCabe ruminates often on the differences between the Irish and Spanish Churches. McCabe valued the historical connection between Ireland and the Irish Colleges in Spain. But back home in Ireland, there were many who were suspicious of the idea of training Irish priests abroad when there was a national seminary.”

“Given his erudition and natural diplomatic skills, it is a pity that the hierarchy could not have a more suitable position for him, perhaps in the United States or one of the colleges in Ireland,” Fanning noted.

“Neither did certain figures in the Department of Foreign Affairs make good use of the intelligence he was able to provide on the situation in Spain in the years leading up to, during, and after the Spanish Civil War.”

For O’Donoghue, McCabe’s skills were at odds with the postwar Irish hierarchy. “The typical attitude was that in the Irish Church in general was that people who were very adventurous were not encouraged,” he said.

Despite McCabe’s optimism and efforts, the closure of the college in 1951 terminated a rich 350-year Spanish connection that had survived the French Revolution, the Peninsular War, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II. 

On his return to Ireland he experienced health and personal difficulties to which his bishop appeared indifferent. He recovered his well-being in his latter years, dying in 1988, having left an invaluable insight into Irish-Iberian relations. He was always repelled by the repression and bloodshed he witnessed. 

In 1986, McCabe was invited to deliver an address of welcome to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain during their visit to St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. It was a belated and fitting recognition of a remarkable man and a fascinating postscript to an enduring relationship between two Catholic countries.

Shroud of Turin featuring positive (left) and negative (right) digital filters. / Credit: Dianelos Georgoudis via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 11:54 am (CNA).

The guardians of the famed Shroud of Turin are disputing the results of a recent study that purports to disprove the cloth’s origins as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ.

Cicero Moraes, a Brazilian 3D artist, claimed in the scholarly journal Archaeometry last month that the depiction of Christ’s body on the shroud was likely made by a “low-relief model” such as a statue rather than a human body.

The imagery on the shroud is “more consistent with an artistic low-relief representation than with the direct imprint of a real human body, supporting hypotheses of its origin as a medieval work of art,” the study alleges.

‘No novelty in this conclusion’

In an Aug. 4 press release, the International Center of Sindonology — the Turin-based organization that leads studies of the Shroud of Turin and promotes its status as a venerated object of Christian devotion — said the nominally new findings of the study were actually considered and disputed more than a century ago. 

Moraes’ research “confirms a result known since the early studies [in 1902], whereby the image on the shroud is configured as an orthogonal projection,” the center said. “There is nothing new in this conclusion of the article.”

Investigations by the Shroud of Turin Research Project beginning in the 1970s, meanwhile, ruled out “the formation of the image by means of painting, [rubbing] with bas-relief, or contact with a heated statue/bas-relief.”

The center argued that researchers have known for more than 100 years of the so-called “Agamemnon Mask effect,” a phenomenon in which an imprinted image is distorted when wrapped around a 3D subject.

The researchers argued that the digital modeling software used to create Moraes’ projection of the shroud “is not specifically designed for scientific purposes.” The model’s simulated physics and lack of a support plane, they said, “does not correspond to a real physical context.”

Turin archbishop Cardinal Roberto Repole, who serves as the pontifical custodian of the shroud, said his office has “no reason to comment on hypotheses freely formulated by scientists of varying degrees of credibility.”

The prelate pointed to “concern about the superficiality of certain conclusions” regarding the shroud, “which often do not stand up to closer examination of the work presented.”

In its press release, meanwhile, the center quoted famed theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, who in the early 1970s urged researchers: “If you’re doing an experiment, you should report everything that you think might make it invalid — not only what you think is right about it.”

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool,” the center said in quoting the scientist.

A gentle cascade of white rose petals falls from the ceiling of the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Aug. 5, 2025, the feast of the dedication of the basilica, evoking “the miracle of the snow” said to have taken place nearly 17 centuries ago. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2025 / 11:23 am (CNA).

White rose petals drifted from the gilded ceiling of St. Mary Major Basilica on Tuesday as Romans celebrated the 1,667th anniversary of a fourth-century Marian miracle that inspired the construction of the oldest Marian sanctuary in the West.

According to tradition, the miracle involved a miraculous snowfall in Rome on Aug. 5 in the year 358. The Virgin Mary appeared to both a wealthy Roman nobleman named John and to Pope Liberius (352–366) in a dream foretelling the August snow and asking for a church to be built in her honor on the site of the snowfall.

The basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III (432–440) after the Council of Ephesus in 431 declared Mary to be the mother of God.

Lithuanian Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, 53, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, celebrated the Mass on Aug. 5 to mark the anniversary of the dedication of the Marian basilica.

Appointed to reorganize the basilica’s administration in 2023 as a coadjutor archpriest, Makrickas officially succeeded Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, 80, last month.

As the choir sang the “Gloria” during the liturgy, a gentle cascade of white rose petals fell from the basilica’s ceiling, evoking “the miracle of the snow” said to have taken place nearly 17 centuries ago.

In his homily, the cardinal noted that the snowfall “can be understood as a symbol of grace.”

“It can only be received as a gift,” he said. “Grace also arouses admiration and amazement.” 

Makrickas noted that Pope Francis participated in last year’s commemoration on Aug. 5. “Pope Francis, who rests in this basilica to be watched over, inspired, and comforted [by] our heavenly mother, Salus Populi Romani, deeply experienced this maternal guidance of Mary,” he said, referring to the revered Marian icon housed in the basilica.

“Like him, thousands of pilgrims, in this jubilee year, walk through the Holy Door of this Marian sanctuary to ask for God’s grace to be able, with renewed faith and a burning heart like the snow, to be witnesses of the great works of God in the world,” he added. 

Among the four major papal basilicas in Rome, St. Mary Major is the only one that maintained its original structure. Mosaics dating back to the fifth century can be seen in the central nave of the basilica, which also houses the relic of the Holy Crib from the birth of Christ.

“Dear brothers and sisters, crossing the Holy Door of this basilica means entrusting one’s journey of life and faith to the maternal protection of Mary,” Makrickas said. “And to be inspired by hope is to open oneself to this hope that does not disappoint.”