Blessed Anacleto González Flores, martyr of the religious persecution that Mexico experienced in the 1920s. / Credit: Mexican Bishops’ Conference

Puebla, Mexico, Jul 10, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, will hold a celebration in Spanish and English on Sunday, July 13, commemorating the 137th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Anacleto González Flores, a martyr of the religious persecution Mexico experienced in the 1920s and patron saint of the Mexican laity.

González was born in Tepatitlán, Jalisco state, Mexico, on July 13, 1888. He was a prominent layman, lawyer, and catechist, recognized for his profound faith and leadership during the religious persecution in Mexico in the 1920s. He founded associations for Christian formation and defended the rights of the Church, promoting peaceful resistance to the government’s anti-clerical laws.

For his commitment to faith and justice, he was arrested, tortured, and ultimately executed on April 1, 1927. Pope Benedict XVI approved his beatification on Nov. 15, 2005. In 2019, he was named patron saint of the Mexican laity.

The Archdiocese of San Antonio’s celebration will begin at noon CT on Sunday, July 13, with Mass at St. Andrew’s Church in Pleasanton, Texas.

At 1:15 p.m. there will be a talk in English about the Archdiocese of San Antonio’s support, often including providing refuge, for persecuted Mexican Catholics. This will be followed by a bilingual presentation of the Spanish-language book “Anacleto González Flores: From the Word to Social Transformation.”

The celebration will conclude with the veneration of the first-class relics of Blessed Anacleto starting at 2:15 p.m.

Archdiocese of San Antonio provided aid to persecuted Church in Mexico

During the years of religious persecution in Mexico, various dioceses and Catholic institutions in the United States provided assistance to Mexican bishops, priests, and laypeople, including the Archdiocese of San Antonio. 

Father Rafael Becerra, the priest organizing the celebration, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that there are records that show that “some of the homes of the Josephite Sisters became a place for refugee priests.”

Also in the town of Castroville, just west of San Antonio, “a seminary was built and founded for seminarians from Mexico during the time of religious persecution.”

“It is known that seminarians from 13 different dioceses in Mexico came to study at that seminary” and that 59 priests were ordained after receiving their formation at that seminary, he noted.

Among other institutions, Becerra mentioned the important support of the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal service organization in the world. Six members of the Knights were martyred during the 1926–1929 Cristero War.

“We also know that several priests were here in San Antonio. There are about 40 refugees, some Claretians, other priests, and some bishops like [the archbishop of Mexico City] José Mora,” he commented.

Among other Mexican prelates who also passed through the Archdiocese of San Antonio during the years of persecution were St. Rafael Guízar y Valencia — today the patron saint of the bishops of Mexico — and his brother, Antonio, who was archbishop of Chihuahua.

These and other historical materials will be presented this Sunday, July 13, as part of the celebration of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

For more information on how to participate in the celebration, click here.

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

The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced on June 29, 2025, a restructuring plan that will merge parishes in the face of a priest shortage. / Credit: Snehit Photo/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has announced a restructuring process as it faces a shortage of priests.  

The announcement of the “Rooted in Christ Pastoral Planning Process” comes a year after Bishop David John Walkowiak issued an urgent diocesan-wide appeal to pray for an increase in vocations in the diocese, which has had just one ordination to the priesthood in the last two years. 

“In 2024, we had one priestly ordination. In 2025, seven pastors were either granted senior priest status or reassigned outside the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and there were no priestly ordinations,” the diocese said in a June 29 statement. “Given this reality, the Presbyteral Council and priests of the diocese urged Bishop Walkowiak to take a hard look at what is required for the well-being of our parish communities and priests.”

The priest shortage has forced many priests to take on the responsibility of shepherding two to three parishes at a time, according to the diocese.

In a video message, Walkowiak said that while he is “grateful to our pastors who have generously taken on the responsibility,” the situation is ultimately not sustainable.

It has been more than a decade since the diocese — which spans 11 counties, 79 parishes, and 31 Catholic schools — last underwent a pastoral planning process.

According to the restructuring plan, 13 parishes across the diocese will merge, forming new parishes, while 8 parishes will form clusters in which two or more parishes will be made to collaborate to varying degrees on ministries, resources, and personnel. Parishes in clusters retain their buildings and finances, unlike in cases where parishes merge. 

While he noted the change can be “difficult and often painful,” the bishop expressed faith that the changes would ultimately be beneficial to parish communities. 

“We risk stagnation and decline if we fail to adapt,” he said, adding: “We need to remember that a parish is a communion of persons, one that extends beyond the confines of parish buildings. Sometimes in order for that communion of persons to remain healthy and continue to grow, the administrative and physical structures that support it must be reassessed.” 

Six of the mergers were kicked off with the promulgation of the plan on June 29, while other mergers and clusters are set to take place in accordance with the end of pastors’ terms and priestly assignments.

Walkowiak has appointed Vicar General Father Colin J. Mulhall to oversee the implementation of the pastoral plan.

In addition to the merging of parishes and formation of parish clusters, the diocese also announced that land for a new parish in the West Deanery would be purchased between the cities of Zeeland and Hudsonville due to projected population growth. A new parish will also be established on land already owned by the diocese in the townships of Robinson and West Olive, also due to projected population growth.

“We must adjust administrative duties so that pastors can encourage their parish communities to become centers of evangelization, where all are invited into a relationship with Christ through worship, participation, and outreach to those in need,” the bishop said.

Diogo Jota of the Liverpool soccer team. / Credit: Spanish-language edition of EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 20:19 pm (CNA).

In an atmosphere of deep recollection and sadness, but also of hope, the funeral of Portuguese soccer players Diogo Jota of the Liverpool Football Club and his brother André Silva, who died last Thursday in a traffic accident in Zamora, Spain, was held on July 5. Jota’s marriage to Rute Cardoso had been solemnized in the Church just 11 days prior. They have three children.

At the funeral, which took place in the town of Gondomar’s main church on the outskirts of Porto, Portugal, the coffins were brought in as the church bells rang. The funeral was attended by several of Jota’s teammates, including Liverpool soccer club captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Argentine Alexis MacAllister, Uruguayan Darwin Nuñez, and coach Arne Slot.

Father Alípio Germano Barbosa, who was the pastor of the church in Gondomar for more than 18 years and who gave Diogo and André their first Communion, fondly recalled the time the brothers were part of his parish community.

“I lived here for 18 and a half years, and closely followed the human and Christian growth of these two young men, with great affection for them and their family,” the priest who attended the funeral told AP.

“They were very well behaved, humble, and courageous boys. In fact, following in the steps of their parents and grandparents, they were deeply connected to the local community and, naturally, participated in community life, the sacraments, Christian fellowship, and communion,” Germano added.

Roberto Martínez, coach of the Portuguese national football team, told the press at the funeral: “These are very sad days, as you can imagine, but today we have shown that we are a large and united family.”

“We are Portugal, and it was essential for us to be together and the world will be united, and his spirit will be with us forever. Thank you so much for your messages, for your support, and for everything we have received from all over the world. It means a lot, and today we are all a football family,” he emphasized.

The bishop of Porto’s homily at the brothers’ funeral

The funeral Mass was celebrated by the bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, who first addressed the children of the late Liverpool player who did not attend the funeral:

“Right now you’re suffering immensely. Or maybe you’re not, because you don’t even realize the tragedy that has befallen your family. You will become aware of it later. And it will be terrible. But I will pray to Jesus for you.”

“The one who suffers deeply,” the prelate continued, “is your mother, Rute. She is heartbroken! Likewise, your grandparents, Isabel and Joaquim, and the rest of your family. Seeing before you a coffin containing the remains of a son must be the ultimate torment. But when it’s not just one coffin, but two, belonging to two brothers... there are no words.”

“We are here to say that we too suffer greatly,” the bishop continued. “We are here with you emotionally … Yes, tears! It’s human! It would be a shame for us if we didn’t.”

Linda encouraged having “faith and hope in the Resurrection.”

“This communion of life is achieved through baptism and good works … Your father, Diogo, was married in the Church 11 days before he died.”

After highlighting the importance of sports, the bishop of Porto said that “while it’s sad to see an adult cry, it’s even more painful when it’s a child… I send a special greeting to your mother, your grandparents, and other family members. I am with you. Jesus is also with you.”

Liverpool soccer club’s tribute to Diogo Jota

In addition to retiring Jota’s No. 20 jersey, the Liverpool soccer club chartered a plane to accommodate those members who wished to travel to the funeral in Portugal.

This was confirmed by the Portuguese newspaper Record. Liverpool will keep Jota’s contract in force and will pay his salary and all bonuses to his family.

The club decided to pay out the remaining two years of Jota’s contract, meaning his widow and his three young children will receive the corresponding sum of more than 17 million euros ($19.9 million).

English journalist Tom Harrington also said on X that Liverpool will establish a fund for the children of Jota and Cardoso, specifically for their education.

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

Canterbury Anglican Cathedral. / Credit: Antony McCallum WyrdLight.com/Wikimedia, CC BY SA 4.0

London, England, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:55 pm (CNA).

For the first time in modern history, the apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom has celebrated Mass in England’s most celebrated Anglican cathedral.

On Monday, July 7, which marked the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass at Canterbury Cathedral with hundreds in attendance, including the Vatican’s cricket team.

During his homily, Maury Buendía said: “This Mass of pilgrimage takes place within the context of the jubilee year. It highlights the Christian life as a spiritual journey, moving through life’s trials and joys with hope anchored in Christ. Having traveled as pilgrims today, we do more than just honor a figure from history.”

He continued: “The stained-glass windows all around us illustrate the many miracles attributed to St. Thomas in the medieval period. This should be a living story, too. Our world, today as then, is in need of hope. We come in this jubilee year as ‘pilgrims of hope’ to be inspired by St. Thomas’ holiness and his courageous witness to Christ and his Church.”

Those in attendance on Monday also received a plenary indulgence because of the jubilee year and its customs.

While it is traditional for the Catholic Parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury to celebrate Mass at the cathedral every year on July 7, this is the first time the apostolic nuncio has presided.

St. Thomas Becket served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until he was murdered in 1170 by supporters of King Henry II, who clashed with Thomas over his defense of the Church and its rights.

Thomas was canonized soon after his death by Pope Alexander III and in 1220 his body was translated, or moved, from the cathedral’s crypt to the shrine behind the altar. It is believed that a papal legate was present at the time.

The crypt was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538 in an attempt to suppress allegiance to St. Thomas Becket.

In correspondence with CNA on Wednesday, July 9, Father David Palmer, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (and a former Anglican priest), reflected on the significance of the event.

“Canterbury Cathedral is often referred to as the home of Anglicanism, the mother Church of the Anglican Communion. This obscures the fact that it is also (and originally) the mother Church of Catholicism in England. The seat of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the first archbishop of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory to bring the (Roman) Catholic faith to the ‘Angles,’” he said.

“For those of us who have made the journey from Anglicanism back to Rome this is an event of special significance and joy.”

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 9, 2025 / 18:25 pm (CNA).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has confirmed that the Catholic Church will not endorse political candidates for public office in any elections, despite a tax code change that has opened the door for houses of worship to make such endorsements.

On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) signed a court agreement to allow churches and other houses of worship to endorse candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. This reversed a 70-year ban that was in place based on the IRS’ interpretation of the “Johnson Amendment,” which prohibits nonprofits in the tax bracket from engaging in political campaigns.

USCCB Director of Public Affairs Chieko Noguchi, however, released a statement this week to announce that the Catholic Church will not be endorsing political candidates, even if the tax code allows it.

“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and it doesn’t change how the Catholic Church engages in public debate,” Noguchi said.

“The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so they might discern which candidates and policies would advance the common good,” she added. “The Catholic Church maintains its stance of not endorsing or opposing political candidates.”

Noguchi told CNA that if an individual member of the clergy were to endorse a candidate, “this is a matter that is best handled by the local bishop.”

Christopher Check, the president of Catholic Answers, told CNA that the USCCB’s decision to avoid endorsements is “a wise one for our time and place.”

“The Church is not one of several political organizations or NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] competing for public opinion on the cultural and civic playing fields,” Check added. “She is the primary and divine institution through which all that public activity must be understood.”

Check pointed out that avoiding endorsements is consistent with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which he explained “[prohibits] clergy from engaging in active participation in political parties except in cases where the rights of the Church are threatened or the ‘promotion of the common good requires it,’ and then only in the judgment of ‘competent ecclesiastical authority.’”

There have been situations historically in which clergy rightly engaged in political campaigns, such as when Marxist parties in some countries sought to “eradicate the Church,” according to Check. Yet he also cautioned that there have been times in which members of the clergy have “misled the faithful” by involving themselves in campaigns.

“Today in the United States, neither political party offers a platform that would serve as a foundation for a true home for faithful Catholics,” Check said. “As such, the obligation for the clergy and the episcopacy to form the consciences of the faithful rightly is especially critical. It is in this realm that the Church, who very much in a sense is above partisan politics, is called to operate.”

Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas (a Catholic institution), told CNA she believes the IRS policy to not penalize churches for political endorsements is “wise” but said the USCCB commitment to not endorse candidates “is also prudent.”

“The IRS policy is wise to leave broad leeway to religious leaders to offer guidance, even on political matters that could shape the moral and cultural atmosphere within which religious life takes place,” Hanssen said.

Hanssen added that the Church hierarchy and the clergy can still be vocal on political issues that implicate Church teaching, noting that they “should give clear principles of action” but that “it is the moral responsibility of the laity to potentially apply those principles.” 

She added that clergy should also help correct Catholic politicians whose policies do not conform to “the principles of natural law, for example, with regard to abortion, parental rights over their children’s education and medical care, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage.” 

“Thus their action would be appropriately pastoral, rather than political — a concern for souls,” Hanssen said.

Ryan Tucker, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that the IRS decision could still have an impact on churches that do not endorse candidates, saying those entities have a “constitutional right to speak freely” and the IRS change ensures “they can do so more boldly” now.

“The government shouldn’t be able to threaten a church with financial penalties based on a requirement that the church self-censor and surrender its constitutionally protected freedom,” he said. “Pastors and clergy members have been engaged in matters of the day that affect the members of their church body since our founding.”

The Vatican recognizes the pastoral value of the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 and authorizes public worship, without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions. / Credit: Courtesy of Michal Petriľak, Zvir Shrine

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted a “nihil obstat” — that is, nothing stands in the way — of Marian devotion surrounding the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 — without recognizing their supernatural character.

The letter, signed by the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, and addressed to Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, hierarch of the Archeparchy of Prešov for Byzantine-rite Catholics, recognizes the pastoral value of the phenomenon and authorizes public worship without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions.

The cardinal stated in the letter, published by the Vatican dicastery, that the discernment has taken into account “the many spiritual fruits” borne from this phenomenon.

The decision responds to the formal request by Maxim, who in letters sent to the Vatican in February and May highlighted “the countless sincere and heartfelt confessions and conversions experienced by pilgrims, which continue to take place at the shrine, despite the alleged apparitions ending three decades ago. The Slovak prelate also highlighted the constant flow of pilgrims who have continued to come to the site, manifesting an ongoing experience of faith.

Fernández noted several messages attributed to the Virgin that offer invitations to conversion, joy, and inner freedom. One of the most cited texts exhorts: “Let Jesus set you free. Let Jesus set you free. And do not allow your enemy to limit your freedom, for which Jesus shed so much blood. A soul that is free is the soul of a child” (Dec. 5, 1993).

On several occasions, the Marian figure presents herself as “happy” and repeats expressions of unconditional love: “I love you, just as you are. I love you. I love you! I want you to be happy, but this world will never make you happy” (Aug. 7, 1994). The faithful are also invited to live a simple and profound spirituality: “Begin to live simply, to think simply, and to act simply. Seek out silence so that the Spirit of Christ may be born anew within you” (June 5, 1994).

Some ambiguities

However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recognized that “some messages contain ambiguities or unclear formulations,” such as one that suggests that that nearly all people in one part of the world are condemned or one that states that “the cause of all illness is sin.”

These messages have not been deemed acceptable by the Vatican for publication. However, the Argentine cardinal recalled in the letter that, as early as 2011, a doctrinal commission dedicated to investigating these apparitions explained that the alleged visionaries did not hear messages in human language but rather had inner experiences that they then attempted to translate, which explains certain inaccuracies or personal interpretations.

For this reason, the cardinal of the Roman Curia asked the archbishop of Prešov to publish a compilation of these messages, excluding any statements that could lead to confusion or disturb the faith of ordinary people.

The Vatican made it clear that the “nihil obstat” does not equate to the recognition of supernatural intervention, but it does permit public worship and that the faithful can “safely approach this spiritual offering,” whose contents can help them live the Gospel of Christ more deeply.

A living shrine

Mount Zvir, less than two miles from the village of Litmanová, has been a place of pilgrimage for years, especially for those of the Byzantine rite. Three children were present at the alleged apparitions, which began on Aug. 5, 1990: Ivetka Korcáková, Katka Ceselková, and Mitko Ceselka.

This step by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is possible thanks to the new norms on supernatural phenomena, published in May 2024, which provide for varying degrees of discernment, from “nihil obstat” to negative judgments, allowing for a more flexible assessment of the spiritual experiences of communities.

Since they came into force just over a year ago, it is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and not the local bishop that pronounces on these events, and the Catholic Church’s discernment process no longer ends “with a declaration of ‘supernaturalitate’ [supernaturalness]” of the events.

The objective of the reform of the regulations, approved by Pope Francis, was to prevent fraud and scams that take advantage of the goodwill of the faithful.

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

Thousands of young people at the opening Mass for JEMJ 2025 on July 4, 2025, at the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain. / Credit: Courtesy of Marian Eucharistic Youth Day/JEMJ

Madrid, Spain, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

At the foot of the shrine in Covadonga located in the Asturias province of Spain — where the Reconquista began centuries ago — more than 1,700 young Catholics from 28 countries gathered recently for the second consecutive year for the Marian Eucharistic Youth Day (JEMJ, by its Spanish acronym), with the firm resolve to undertake a new “reconquest”: that of hearts.

The “Reconquista” (reconquest) refers to a series of battles over the course of centuries that in 1492 eventually ended the eighth-century Moorish conquest of Spain. The Battle of Covadonga (about 720) is considered the start of the Reconquista when Christian forces in Asturias defeated the Muslim invaders. 

On the afternoon of July 4, an atmosphere of joy, singing, hugs, and reunions enveloped the surroundings of the Holy Cave and the majestic basilica, nestled in the imposing mountain landscape of the Picos de Europa. With backpacks, banners, and rosaries in hand, the first pilgrims began to arrive, ready for three days of an intense faith-filled experience.

Under the motto “I will give you a new heart,” young people participated in Masses, Eucharistic adoration, talks, Eucharistic workshops, catechesis, and even a festival in a deeply spiritual yet festive atmosphere, where the hope of a generation that has not renounced living its faith was felt.

At the heart of this youth gathering — which is becoming a key event during Catholic summer activities in Spain — are the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist. Sister Beatriz Liaño of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother religious order and media liaison for JEMJ, shared a revealing anecdote with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“There were so many young people who wanted to spend the evening adoring the Blessed Sacrament at the shrine that the priests decided to also expose the sacrament on the esplanade so everyone could participate.”

The En Marcha (on the move) JEMJ association, promoter of the initiative, made the event possible with the indispensable help of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, who quietly serve, and more than 200 volunteers.

For Liaño, the JEMJ is not just a youth event: “It’s something precious, a gift from the Virgin Mary to her son, Jesus. I believe that the heart of the Mother has called all these young people together to offer them, with total respect for their freedom, a personal encounter with the living Christ in the Eucharist, capable of transforming their lives.”

Bishop Juan Carlos Elizalde of Vitoria, Spain, celebrated the opening Mass on Friday evening. More than 30 priests concelebrated.

“There is a promise of happiness in the depths of your heart, and you are on pilgrimage because you refuse to resign yourself to vegetating. You leave your home in search of happiness: a new heart, a full life,” the prelate told the young people during his homily.

Elizalde also invited the young people to reflect on what the Lord is “shouting out” to them: “We are all called; there is no one without a vocation. The Lord calls us all by name. It’s not a question of consecrated life or priesthood, it is a question of happiness, it is a question of a new heart.”

‘Reconquering what is worthwhile’

Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes of Oviedo was also present at the event. Speaking with ACI Prensa, he recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI during the 2005 World Youth Day in Cologne: “Looking at these youths so healthy, so hopeful, the Church is alive and the Church is young.”

For the prelate, going to Covadonga is “going up to a particularly blessed place, because here a people is born, a Christian people, and here in Mary we find a reason for hope.” He also emphasized that “we must beat with the heart of Jesus Christ.”

In his homily during the closing Mass on Sunday, July 6, Sanz invited the young people to “reconquer what is worthwhile, that which gives glory to God as Father and allows us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters in Jesus, his son, to proclaim the Christian good news with the power of the Holy Spirit.”

He also warned about pornography, a “deception” that “kills the soul and perverts the gaze, stealing the outlook of purity and hope.”

Presence of relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis

During the three days of the event, participants had the opportunity to pray before the relic of the heart of Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be “millennial saint” who continues to guide the new generation of young people and show them that holiness is a goal that is possible.

Minutes before the start of JEMJ, a video message from Antonia Salzano, Carlo Acutis’ mother, was shown to the young participants. In the video, she confided to them what her son’s secret to attain holiness was: “Carlo’s secret to being a saint was: Carlo went to Mass every day, did Eucharistic adoration every day, read sacred Scripture every day, and, above all, he prayed the rosary every day, which Carlo said are exorcisms we perform for ourselves.”

Carlos Leret, international delegate of the Friends of Carlo Acutis Association, explained to ACI Prensa outside the basilica that Acutis “is an ordinary saint who challenges [people] to holiness” and emphasized that young people “love to be challenged.”

Also present at the opening of the event was Friar Marco Gaballo, rector of the Shrine of the Dispossession in Assisi, Italy, and custodian of the relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he described Covadonga as “a place of faith” and expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the relic: “It has been received with such enthusiasm and such affection… it’s been very beautiful.”

For the Franciscan, testimonies like those of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati — who will both be canonized Sept. 7 in Rome — “are sources of inspiration” for today’s youth.

In addition, the “protector saints” of JEMJ 2025 were the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus,” eight Franciscan friars and three lay brothers murdered on the night of July 9-10, 1860. These martyrs sought the strength to go through their martyrdom in the Eucharist.

‘Make the most of your youth’

Nuria Leal, a young woman from Valencia, Spain, was in charge of presenting the JEMJ events with her brother, Nacho. “It’s a very great responsibility, but also a very great grace,” she shared with ACI Prensa.

The young laywoman, a member of the Home of the Mother, said with conviction that she is already seeing the spiritual fruits of the gathering in her own life: “It’s a weekend in which everything is designed so that the Lord constantly touches your heart. Every talk, every prayer, every workshop… the Lord uses it to enter your heart.”

“For me, it’s a rekindling of my faith, it’s a waking up and making good use of the youth that the Lord has given us, which is such a wonderful gift,” she added. “It’s discovering it in the Eucharist and bringing it to other young people who may never have heard this great message: that Jesus is alive in the Eucharist, that the Virgin Mary awaits us, she is our mother, and we are so fortunate.”

The musical ‘A Famous Nun’

On the evening of July 4, the musical “A Famous Nun” premiered on the shrine’s esplanade, based on the life of Sister Clare Crockett, a nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador in 2016.

Crockett, originally from Ireland, died at the age of 34 as a missionary for the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. Her life changed on Good Friday in 2000, at the age of 17, when she discovered the Lord’s call for her life, despite having dreamed of being recognized for her acting talent since childhood: “My God, I have a vocation! But I want to be famous... So I told myself: I’ll be a famous nun.”

The play was presented by Catholic Stuff, a YouTube project for youth evangelization, “characterized by a mix of humor, profound ideas, and sound doctrine.”

A few hours before the performance began, the star of the performance, Ana, excitedly shared the details of the show. “It will be successful thanks to the Lord’s help,” she assured.

For this young Spanish woman, Crockett taught that “you have to ask God what he wants from you. The Lord is merciful, and no matter what your past life may be, he will always welcome you in his mercy.”

Regarding last year’s JEMJ, in which she participated as a member of the choir, she highlighted drawing close to the Eucharist and her desire to continue her apostolate, especially “seeing the faith of so many young people and so many changed lives.”

As for herself, Leal said Crockett is very present in her life: “She has always been an example of dedication, of giving 110%. She had migraines, she was tired, but it never showed, and she never said no. She always said ‘everything for souls,’ so we can also say that here in Covadonga: everything for souls.”

The Virgin Mary’s care

Mateo Gratacós, 18, is one of the more than 200 volunteers who made the event possible for the second consecutive year. “You spend a weekend here and have a great time, because there’s a great atmosphere. I came back because I wanted to relive last year’s experience. Volunteering is worth it, even when the going gets tough,” he told ACI Prensa.

“It’s true that some people say young people have less faith, or that we’re constantly on social media, and that gets a lot of attention. But here we have thousands of young people who believe in God and the Virgin Mary, who have traveled from all over to come to Covadonga, and that demonstrates that it’s not true,” he said.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the Holy Cave to remind people that “the Virgin is our mother; you feel her presence here; the way she takes care of you is very powerful. There are things that are like direct messages from her, and that’s amazing. For me, that’s what Our Lady of Covadonga is, a mother.”

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 greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Castel Gandolfo on July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

On Wednesday Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s pontificate.

According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities.”

The pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.

Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”

However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”

“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.

He also noted that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity.”

“Ukrainian children now have the opportunity for rehabilitation and rest in Italy, and such hospitality and sincerity are extremely important. Today, we also discussed the Vatican’s continued efforts to help return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he noted.

He also explained that he spoke with the pontiff about the “the deep respect that Ukrainian society holds for Andrey Sheptytskyy — his actions, including the rescue of Jews during the Second World War and his defense of the Christian faith.”

Archbishop Andrey Sheptysky was a leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944, who, at the risk of his own life, saved hundreds of Jews during the Nazi occupation and worked for Christian unity.

“We hope that Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s contribution and merits will receive the recognition they deserve,” the president said.

International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine

Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in the Italian capital July 10–11.

This is a series of international conferences aimed at mobilizing diplomatic, financial, strategic, and political support for the country’s recovery following the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

The meeting will be opened tomorrow by Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event brings together heads of state and government from 77 countries and a total of 1,800 attendees, including representatives of 500 companies.

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 celebrates Mass for the Care of Creation at Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).

It was a mix of liturgical old and new in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday as Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a special Mass for the Care of Creation — with key portions in the ancient language of Latin.

Against a backdrop of green foliage and a large sculpture of Mary at the pope’s traditional summer residence, the pontiff prayed July 9 for more people to be converted from “the excesses of the human being, with his style of life,” which he said was a major cause of the many natural disasters taking place around the world.

“We should pray for the conversion of many people, in and outside of the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for creation, for our common home,” he said, adding that the world is burning both because of global warming and armed conflicts.

The pope also emphasized “the indestructible alliance between Creator and creatures,” which he said “mobilizes our intelligence and our efforts, so that evil may be turned into good, injustice into justice, greed into communion.”

The open-air celebration was likely the first use of the prayers and scriptural readings specified for the new Mass formulary. Inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’, the “Mass for the Care of Creation” was presented at the Vatican on July 3.

The Mass, attended by around 50 people involved in the Castel Gandolfo-based environmental center Borgo Laudato Si’, was celebrated in Italian but with Leo reciting certain prayers, including the collect and prayer over the offerings, in Latin.

The Borgo Laudato Si’ is an initiative to put into practice the principles for integral development outlined in Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’.

Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, told CNA by phone after the Mass that Pope Leo recited the prayers in Latin because that is how they appear in the “typical edition,” meaning the approved original, while official translations have not yet been created.

“Pope Leo is absolutely familiar with Latin; it’s certainly not a problem,” the No. 2 at the Vatican’s liturgy office added.

Pope Leo gave some insight into his personal experience with the Latin language during a meeting with hundreds of children on July 3, when he explained that he was exposed to the universal language of the Church as an altar server from around age 6, when he would serve at 6:30 a.m. Mass every day before school.

“Then it was in Latin; we still had to learn Latin for Mass, and then it changed to English,” he said. “But it wasn’t so much the language [the Mass] was celebrated in, but rather having that experience of meeting other young people who served Mass together, the friendship always, and then this closeness to Jesus in the Church.”

The pope celebrated the Mass of Care for Creation July 9 during a planned two-week stay at the pontifical estate, located in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles southeast of Rome. The period of limited private and public engagements, which comes just two months into his pontificate, will end July 20.

Pope Leo has revived the 400-year tradition of papal vacationing at Castel Gandolfo, a practice eschewed by Pope Francis.

Starting his homily for the July 9 Mass on the estate’s gardens with a few improvised comments, the pontiff invited “everyone, beginning with myself, to experience that which we are celebrating in the beauty of what you could say is a ‘natural’ cathedral, with the plants and many elements of creation which they have brought here for us to celebrate the Eucharist, which means, render thanks to the Lord.”

He pointed to a reflection pool in front of the altar and recalled a practice in the first centuries of Christianity of having the faithful enter a church by passing through a baptismal font.

Leo joked that he would not want to be baptized in that specific water, which featured waterlilies and appeared to be green with algae, but he said the “symbol of passing through the water to all be washed of our sins, of our weaknesses, and so be able to enter into the great mystery of the Church is something that we experience even today.”

Viola, who was present at Leo’s Mass, noted the significance of the location, immersed in the beautiful gardens at a site of prayer for some of Leo’s predecessors.

“The place where [the Mass] was celebrated was not chosen by chance, because it is the place where several pontiffs stopped to pray during their periods of rest in Castel Gandolfo, before that image of the Virgin Mary,” he explained.

Viola called it “a place that has always preserved a dimension of prayer and the prayer of the popes. And so gathering in that place was significant, as if to preserve the heart of [Borgo Laudato Si’] that is being built on the indications of Laudato Si’, which is a heart of spirituality.”

Pope Leo, reflecting on the Gospel passage read at Mass — Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea — said the Lord’s disciples, “at the mercy of the storm, gripped by fear,” could not yet profess knowledge of Jesus as heard in the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, that “he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth.”

“We today,” the pontiff added, “in the faith that has been passed on to us, can instead continue: ‘He is also the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have preeminence.’”

“These are words that commit us throughout history, that make us a living body, the body of which Christ is the head. Our mission to protect creation, to bring it peace and reconciliation, is his own mission: the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us,” he said.

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke during the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, June 29, 2019. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has written a warm and detailed letter to Cardinal Raymond Burke, thanking the American cardinal for 50 years of priestly ministry, in a gesture that marks a shift in tone following years of tension between Burke and Pope Francis.

The cardinal was one of the most prominent critics in the hierarchy of the late pope, under whom he fell conspicuously out of favor.

Leo’s letter, written in Latin and signed by the pope on June 17, was posted Tuesday by Burke on his official X account. In it, the pope praised Burke “for the prompt service he has zealously carried out and the earnest care he has demonstrated most especially for the law, which has also been of good service to the dicasteries of the Apostolic See.”

The pope went on to commend Burke’s pastoral witness, writing: “He has preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the heart of Christ and has recounted His treasures, diligently offering his devoted service to the Church universal.”

In his post accompanying the papal letter, Burke wrote that he was “very humbled” by it and appealed to his followers to pray for the pope. “May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years. Viva il Papa!” Burke wrote.

The exchange represents a striking departure from the contentious relationship between Burke and Pope Francis, under whose pontificate Burke was increasingly sidelined.

Francis removed Burke in 2013 from the Vatican Congregation for Bishops — the curial body that recommends episcopal candidates — and reassigned him the following year from the Church’s supreme court to a largely ceremonial position with the Order of Malta, later taking away many of those responsibilities and eventually removing him altogether.

A vocal critic of Pope Francis’ approach to pastoral theology, Burke twice joined other cardinals in submitting “dubia” — formal requests for clarification — regarding the pope’s teachings on Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics and blessings for same-sex couples.  

He has also been a staunch proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass, which Francis severely restricted in 2021 through his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes. Last month, Burke made an open appeal to Pope Leo to lift the restrictions on the Latin Mass.

Late in his pontificate, Pope Francis told a meeting of Vatican officials in late 2023 that he was taking away Burke’s stipend and rent-free apartment in Rome. In response to an inquiry from CNA on Wednesday about his current situation in regard to the stipend and the apartment, Burke declined through his secretary to comment.

Burke, 77, was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome while studying at the Pontifical North American College.

He celebrated his golden jubilee with a Novus Ordo Mass of thanksgiving on Saturday at his titular church in Rome, Sant’Agata dei Goti. Among the concelebrants were Cardinals Dominique Mamberti and James Harvey, the latter of whom delivered the homily.

The cardinal’s decades-long service includes posts as bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin (1995–2004), archbishop of St. Louis (2004–2008), and prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (2008–2014). He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and served as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023.

Burke participated in the May conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Cardinal Burke's age. It is 77, not 76. Also, this story was updated at 3:08 p.m. ET with the cardinal’s response to CNA’s request for comment. (Published July 9, 2025)