null / Credit: Paul Gueu/Shutterstock

Denver, Colorado, Dec 5, 2025 / 18:18 pm (CNA).

After receiving a letter of excommunication from the Vatican, the leader of a schismatic group in Colorado Springs told congregants he would ignore it — furthering the divide between the small splinter group and the Catholic Church.

Anthony Ward heads the Servants of the Holy Family, a group that labels itself as Catholic in spite of the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ declaration that the group is schismatic.  

In a 40-minute speech to his congregation in which he called Church authorities “a kangaroo court” of “heretics” and “freemasons,” Ward went public on Nov. 16 about his excommunication and his plans to continue ignoring the Catholic Church’s directives. 

During a secret ceremony in 2024, a bishop whose name was withheld at the time consecrated Ward as a bishop without papal permission.

In the Catholic Church, only the pope can appoint bishops. Consecrating a bishop without papal mandate is considered illicit and incurs an automatic “latae sententiae” excommunication for both parties.

During the meeting at the Servants’ chapel on Nov. 16, Ward told his congregation that the Catholic Church had made a declaration of excommunication against him due to what he described as “persistent, rebellious disobedience.”

Though excommunication is a “medicinal penalty” designed to urge an individual to repent, Ward has said he is “ignoring” the letter and will not be responding within the 30-day window given to him. 

Embracing the claims of the letter, Ward said he will continue to disobey, instead putting his loyalty toward what he called “the true Catholic faith.” 

“I have not and will not obey commands from the kangaroo court composed of heretics, schismatics, Freemasons, representatives of the most vile sinful perversions, enemies of the cross of Christ,” Ward told the congregation, “of whom the majority of bishops — particularly in this country — no longer believe in the real presence of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, Christ in the Eucharist.”

The U.S. Catholic bishops recently led a yearslong Eucharistic Revival that centered on the Catholic belief that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.

Despite the local Catholic diocese’s denouncement of the Servants, the group continues to hold Eucharistic celebrations and is recruiting minors as well as adult men to be trained as priests.

The Servants’ website advertises the group as “faithful to the Latin Mass” as well as to “Catholic doctrine and morals” and claims it is “endorsed by Catholic bishops worldwide.” 

Ward named Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu Lusaka, the African archbishop emeritus of Zambia, as the bishop who illicitly consecrated him, but the other bishops are not specified readily on the website. 

When asked to comment, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Colorado Springs referred to the most recent public statement by Bishop James Golka in April 2024. 

Since 2013, the Diocese of Colorado Springs has publicly held that the Servants are “not in good standing” with the Church.   

Pointing to continued “obstinate ill will” by the Servants, Golka declared last year that Ward and other priests affiliated with the Servants “are not in good standing with the diocesan or the universal Catholic Church” and declared it “a schismatic group.” 

Pointing to canon law, Golka declared that its Eucharistic celebration “is illicit and a grave moral offense” and that its celebration of baptism “is illicit.” The bishop also declared celebrations of penance, the sacrament of matrimony, confirmation, and holy orders by this group to be invalid. 

Golka said it would be “an act of spiritual danger” for Catholics to attend celebrations led by the Servants and encouraged the faithful to pray for reconciliation. 

The Servants did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Chicago firefighters attend to a woman outside a doorway in video taken in November 2025 by Coalition Life. / Credit: Courtesy of Coalition Life’s YouTube channel

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 17:54 pm (CNA).

The pro-life nonprofit Coalition Life is planning to ramp up its sidewalk counseling initiative at a Planned Parenthood facility in Chicago after a woman was found crying in pain outside of the clinic.

A video shows sidewalk counselor Jacob Tipre observing the woman curled up, leaning against the doorway for the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Cohn Morris Health Center, which is located in downtown Chicago. The incident occurred Nov. 15 shortly before 4 p.m., according to Coalition Life.

Mary Jane Maharry, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, told CNA: “We’re not commenting.” Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A video posted by Coalition Life shows Tipre asking the woman whether she was OK. She responded: “No, I am not.”

“They just do the procedure, and they threw me out on the streets,” the woman said, while crying. “They just threw me out on the streets.”

Brian Westbrook, executive director and founder of Coalition Life, who has been involved in sidewalk counseling for 14 years, told CNA: “This is the most egregious treatment of any woman that I have seen in my history [of doing this].”

Westbrook said the woman called her own ambulance. He said Tipre stayed alongside the woman while she waited for emergency services to arrive because he noticed “her eyes are kind of rolling back in her head and [she was] almost to the point where she was in shock or passing out.”

The video shows the fire department arriving on the street to provide assistance. Tipre waved the personnel over while the woman remained seated in the doorway. The video does not show any Planned Parenthood workers outside the facility with the woman.

The Chicago Police Department confirmed it received an emergency call and did not provide additional information.

Tipre said in the video that he is “still processing this myself” and rebuked Planned Parenthood for “literally treating their own clients as garbage.”

Westbrook said Coalition Life does not have the woman’s contact information and is not able to follow up, but added: “I would be curious to know if Planned Parenthood bothers following up with her at all.”

Westbrook said Coalition Life recently began to offer sidewalk counseling at this location. He said the nonprofit was planning an expansion to this spot and the incident “certainly sparked a certain level of urgency to continue to build the team there.” 

Sidewalk counselors wait outside of abortion clinics and offer people information about pro-life alternatives to abortion and medical and financial resources available for those who need them.

Westbrook said there are two life-affirming pregnancy centers that provide pregnancy services to women nearby, where they refer pregnant women: The Women’s Care Center and Aid For Women.

He said Coalition Life and life-affirming pregnancy centers will follow up with women throughout their pregnancies. He said abortion clinics are not required to provide follow-up care in Illinois in spite of complications that can occur.

Grand prize-winning piece by Janielle Perez is on display at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., until Jan. 11, 2026. Perez is a student at Resurrection Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 16:08 pm (CNA).

Children across the U.S. received awards for their artwork portraying the Nativity of Jesus in Washington, D.C.

“Through their creativity, they have beautifully expressed the story of Christ’s humble beginning and what it means to be young missionary disciples,” said Alixandra Holden, director of the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), one of four Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S., at a Dec. 5 awards ceremony.

MCA’s mission is “to help children grow in faith by teaching them to pray and sacrifice for other children around the world.” Since 1933, the organization has encouraged children to evangelize by depicting the Nativity of Jesus.

The organization started the MCA National Christmas Artwork Contest, inviting participation of young Catholic artists. The hope is to help young people meditate on the mystery of Christ’s birth and share their gifts with the world during Advent, according to MCA.

A piece of art can “speak a thousand words,” Holden said. “Each one of them is a testament to our faith, whether it’s created by pencil, marker, or paint. Every stroke is a proclamation of the good news in their art classrooms, in their schools, and in their parishes. And wherever their lives take them, their God-given talents can continue to share Christ’s love with the world.”

The winners “were chosen from thousands and thousands of entries submitted from all across the country,” Holden said at the awards ceremony at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Participants from dioceses spanning over a dozen states won national awards. Of the 24 winners, 14 children attended the awards ceremony. 

This year’s two grand-prize winners were Janielle Perez, a student at Resurrection Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Diana Uytingco, a student at St. Andrew Catholic School in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.

Their artwork will appear on the official Christmas cards of the Pontifical Mission Societies, sent to thousands of recipients, including Pope Leo XIV. The card to the Holy Father will include a handwritten message on behalf of all the children who participated in the contest.

The artwork also will remain on display at the National Shrine until Jan. 11. 

Importance of family 

The art is a “celebration of the children,” said Monsignor Vito Buonanno, associate rector of the National Shrine, at the event. He detailed “the great gifts that God has given us through them.” 

“What is wonderful about this Pontifical Society is that it acknowledges the gifts of the children,” Buonanno said. “We think, ‘What can children do to help the missions?’ They can do an awful lot. This is just one of the things that they can do. But it is the experience of what family is.”

When meditating on the Nativity during the Advent and Christmas seasons, “remember how important family is,” Buonanno said. “The sacrifices that we make for family … are worth it because that is what keeps going, it’s our identity. It’s this identity that we discover and that we have. So we celebrate that.”

“Most especially, we celebrate it at the most important thing we do as Catholic people, as Christians. We celebrate it in the Mass. That’s where we are truly experiencing what it means to be one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.”

“It’s God who puts it all together to make us know that we can persevere and experience the love of what it means that a God Almighty became one of us,” Buonanno said. “God, he became one of us. Why? To show us the way to the Father.”

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 14:08 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will offer his “vision for peace, unity, and reconciliation” in his first full-length book to be published in February 2026.

The Holy Father’s book, “Peace Be With You: My Words to the Church and to the World,” is set to be published in English and Spanish on Feb. 24 by HarperOne, according to a Dec. 4 press release. 

The title of the book recalls the first words spoken by the risen Christ, which also were Leo’s first words as pontiff: “Peace be with you.”

“I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!” Leo said at his first appearance from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The book includes sermons and addresses delivered since his election on May 8, 2025, according to the publisher, which has also distributed works by St. John Paul II and Pope Francis. 

“Together, these texts reflect the new pope’s vision and priorities: the primacy of God, communion within the Church, and the global pursuit of peace,” the release said. “[Leo] has repeatedly emphasized the humility required of leadership, stating: ‘To disappear so that Christ remains, to make himself small so that he may be known and glorified.’”

“As the first North American pope in history, Pope Leo XIV’s words offer a unique perspective that resonates across borders and faith traditions,” the publisher continued. The book “welcomes readers into communion with his message of reconciliation and hope, inviting all people — of every nation and background — to embrace a renewed vision for peace.”

Paula Fitzgerald, Roxana Rueda Moreno, moderator Christian Soenen, Rosa Reyes discuss the effects of mass deportation at a conversation sponsored by the Georgetown Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 12:44 pm (CNA).

Life for members of the Latino community has “changed drastically,” according to leaders of groups serving Latino Catholics.

“Since the increased immigration enforcement, our communities, our families, are living in constant fear and anxiety,” said Roxana Rueda Moreno of Iskali, a Chicago-based organization that helps form young Latino Catholics to be leaders within their communities. 

“It’s not a fear of ‘we’re doing something wrong,’” Moreno said. “It’s a fear of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She described families sheltering in their residences to avoid detentions, children staying home from school, and parents staying home from work. 

Moreno said her uncle was detained in October and that she was not able to locate him until a month later. 

“I searched for one month, I called hospitals, I called detention centers, hoping somebody would give me an answer, that somebody would give me news,” Moreno said. “A month later I was able to locate him, thanks be to God, and came to find out he was in a different state.” 

Moreno also shared the story of a mother within her community “who is now raising her daughter who has severe autism alone,” since her husband was detained. She also spoke of a man who was killed during an altercation with federal officers in September. 

“Those are only some of the stories that we carry as a city, as a community. Stories filled with pain, sorrow, uncertainty, but they are also stories of resilience and faith and courage, of a community that refuses to let go,” Moreno said. “We are holding onto each other as much as we can and we are choosing to live in hope, because that’s where we can stand from now.”

Paula Fitzgerald, executive director of Ayuda (translated “help” in Spanish), said her work to provide legal, social, and language services for low-income immigrants has become increasingly difficult due to several changes in the way immigration enforcement has played out since the start of the Trump administration’s expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

“In the beginning we received so many calls from schools, places of worship, saying, ‘What can we do to protect our spaces so our community can continue to come here and be safe?’” she said. “Usually we’ve been able to provide answers — there was a memo that protected these spaces from ICE enforcement before, and all of that has deteriorated.” 

The administration in early 2025 rescinded a policy that treated schools, hospitals, and places of worship as “protected” or “sensitive” locations, and ICE agents are permitted to conduct arrests at or near those locations.

Fitzgerald said many of the immigrants her organization serves are victims of crime, including domestic violence and human trafficking. 

“Any given week we have a domestic violence survivor come in and try to figure out what to do. Should I report to MPD? Am I safe reporting?” she said. 

Fitzgerald told CNA she is most concerned about the “deterioration of trust with law enforcement.” 

“The fear now in terms of reporting their crime, their victimization to the police is at an all-time high, and it puts them in a really vulnerable position between the fear of their abuser versus the fear of law enforcement or being turned over to ICE,” she said. 

Fitzgerald said ICE’s presence at courthouses for the purpose of detaining immigrants on their way to hearings as well as the detention of people at “immigration facilities that aren’t designed to hold people” are concerning. 

“It is great to see Catholic leadership standing in solidarity with migrants and immigrants who are being mistreated,” Fitzgerald said. “I think it’s only all of us standing together across faiths, across communities, standing for what we know is right and standing up for those communities, that we’re going to make a change. So I’m grateful to the Catholic leadership for standing up and in defense of our communities and for everyone else who does so as well.” 

U.S. bishops issued a special message in November about their concerns over immigration enforcement, profiling and vilification of immigrants, conditions in detention centers, and arbitrary loss of legal status.

A Dec. 4 conversation, “Making Life Unbearable: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Families and Communities,” was organized by Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. About 1,300 people signed up for the event online, and about 50 people attended in person.

Rosa Reyes, director of the Dream Partnership and a student adviser at Trinity Washington University, and Yolanda Chávez, a theologian and pastoral leader who was deported to Mexico, also spoke at the event. 

null / Credit: itakdalee/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 5, 2025 / 12:07 pm (CNA).

A Catholic Virginia student will receive payments including attorney’s fees after a school district conceded a lawsuit she brought over the district’s transgender policies.

The student, identified in the October lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” said the Fairfax County School Board violated her constitutional rights when it subjected her to “extreme social pressure” to affirm transgender pronoun conventions.

Doe, identified as a “practicing Roman Catholic who strives daily to live in accordance with her faith,” felt compelled to engage in self-censorship in which she attempted to “avoid using pronouns altogether” in many circumstances due to fear of punishment from school officials, according to the suit.

When she expressed concerns over sharing a bathroom with a male student, meanwhile, she was told she could “use a private restroom if she felt uncomfortable,” according to the suit.

On Dec. 2 the law group America First Legal called the case a “major victory,” saying the Fairfax school district conceded the lawsuit, offering “nominal damages” and paying costs including attorney’s fees.

“This outcome sends a clear message: School systems and officials cannot disregard the safety, privacy, and dignity of students in favor of radical gender policies,” the group said.

“No student should face the threat of punishment or be pushed aside for asserting their fundamental constitutional rights,” attorney Ian Prior said in the release.

The settlement comes amid broader efforts to roll back extreme transgender ideology and LGBT policies at schools around the country, including rules that allow boys to access girls’ restrooms and other private spaces.

A California federal judge in October allowed for a class action lawsuit against California school districts that allow teachers to hide child “gender transitions” from parents.

In August, meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told states that they would be required to remove gender ideology materials from K–12 education curricula or face the loss of federal funding.

In October 2024, a school board in Virginia agreed to pay a teacher more than half a million dollars after he was fired for refusing to use a student’s transgender pronouns. In December of that year an Ohio school board paid a teacher a $450,000 settlement over a similar dispute.

A study from the Centre for Heterodox Social Science in October found a recent decline in the number of young Americans who identify as transgender or “nonheterosexual,” though a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law in September found that nearly 3 million Americans identify as transgender.

Catholic actor David Henrie in the new docuseries “Seeking Beauty.” / Credit: EWTN Studios

CNA Staff, Dec 5, 2025 / 11:37 am (CNA).

EWTN Studios in partnership with Catholic actor and director David Henrie announced Dec. 3 the upcoming premiere of “Seeking Beauty,” a first-of-its-kind adventure documentary series that explores culture, architecture, food, art, and music, and aims to point viewers to the beautiful — and ultimately to the divine.

Set to debut on EWTN+ on Jan. 19, 2026, the series follows Henrie’s journey into the heart of Italy to explore what makes Italian culture one of the most beautiful in the world. It not only looks at the physical beauty of the country but also its spiritual richness.

According to a press release, Henrie, best known for his role as Justin Russo in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” said: “We wanted an experience for viewers, so we flipped the format on its head. We have someone who’s not an expert — which is me — inviting the audience to go on a journey. We go all over Italy, and we meet with locals, artists, experts, and I’m sitting down asking questions that maybe you at home would want to ask... I was blown away; hopefully, you’ll be blown away, too, because we had some beautiful experiences.”

From the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to quaint restoration workshops where the masterpieces of Caravaggio and Michaelangelo are studied, the series weaves adventure with spiritual insight.

In an interview with EWTN News President Montse Alvarado conducted earlier this year, Henrie shared that a moment that stood out to him while filming the series was watching an old Caravaggio painting be restored. He recalled being shown by artists doing the restoration some of the mistakes made in the painting that are only noticeable up close. Henrie called this experience “humanizing.”

“When you think of great artists before you, they’re almost so high that it’s like unreachable … and to get to see their works up close with a restorer was so cool to go, ‘Oh, this person was human. He completely painted over what he did. There was something he tried that didn’t work at all,’” he said. “That was really cool to me to learn how human these artists were and that they were struggling with the same things that I struggle with, just in a different medium.”

The actor emphasized that the common theme throughout the series is “that beauty has a capital B — that beauty is ultimately the language of the divine and a reflection of God.”

The series is produced by EWTN Studios, Digital Continent, and Henrie’s Novo Inspire Studios.

“David Henrie’s passion for storytelling that honors the good, the true, and the beautiful aligns perfectly with EWTN’s legacy of innovative Catholic media,” Peter Gagnon, president of EWTN Studios, said in the press release. “Through ‘Seeking Beauty’ on EWTN+, we’re not just entertaining, we’re inspiring transformation, one breathtaking discovery at a time.”

Henrie’s production company, Novo Inspire Studios, aims to create entertaining, timeless, and meaningful content that the whole family can enjoy. The company’s work was recently nominated by the Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming, which Henrie called a “massive honor.”

EWTN Studios was recently launched by EWTN as part of its new organizational restructuring, continuing the media organization’s legacy of creating impactful content in the Catholic sphere in a way that reflects the changing nature of media and evolving technologies.

Season 2 of “Seeking Beauty” recently finished filming in Spain.

Exclusive trailers and behind-the-scenes glimpses are available here. The series will stream exclusively on EWTN+, EWTN’s brand-new dynamic digital platform offering premium faith-inspired content anytime, anywhere.

Thousands of young pilgrims gather for the closing Mass of the Australian Catholic Youth Festival at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Theresa Wimmer

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Pope Leo sends surprise video message to Australian Catholic youth festival 

Pope Leo XIV sent a surprise video message to thousands of young Catholics at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival on Nov. 30, urging them to turn to God, “especially through prayer and the sacraments. That’s where you’ll hear your Heavenly Father’s voice most clearly.”

The papal message — played during the opening plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre — drew cheers from young Catholics who gathered from around the country under the 2025 Jubilee theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The three-day event, held Nov. 30–Dec. 2, opened with a five-kilometer (three-mile) pilgrimage walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Participants accompanied the World Youth Day Cross and Icon through the city streets to the convention center.

“Our lives find their ultimate purpose in becoming who God made us to be, by living out his will," Leo said. He reminded pilgrims of the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “You are not the result of a random process. Each of you is willed, each of you is loved, each of you is necessary.”

Holy See Permanent Observer Mission to U.N. calls for end of Ukraine war ‘right now’

The Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N. called for the end of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine immediately during a Dec. 3 emergency session. 

Monsignor Robert Murphy, chargé d’affaires, said the war in Ukraine must halt “not at some undefined moment in the future, but right now.” Murphy emphasized the need for both sides of the conflict to bring about the return of children to their families and urged all nations represented in the assembly interested in ending the war “to reject passivity and provide tangible support for any initiative that could lead to genuine negotiations and lasting peace.”

Bishops praise ‘historic decision’ to end child marriage in west Pakistan province

The western province of Balochistan in Pakistan has passed a law criminalizing child marriages, eliciting praise from Catholic bishops in the region. 

The 2025 Law on the Restriction of Child Marriage in Balochistan penalizes adults who facilitate arranged marriages for minors under the age of 18, repealing a previous law that set the minimum age for girls to be married at 14 years old. Bishop Samson Shukardin, OFM, of Hyderabad and president of the Pakistan Bishops’ Conference, called the new law “a historic decision to protect children and an important step toward strengthening the rights of minors,” according to a Fides report on Monday. 

The bishop further expressed gratitude to lawmakers for passing the law, noting that “the Church promotes the fundamental rights of every human being, especially those of girls,” adding: “Early marriage deprives them of their education, their health, and their self-confidence.” 

Sri Lankan cardinal urges Catholics to join emergency response amid natural disaster

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is urging Catholics to join emergency response efforts across Sri Lanka as the country recovers from Cyclone Ditwah, the worst natural disaster in its history.

“We request our priests, religious, brothers, sisters, and lay leaders to work together with all the societies and organizations to provide relief to the people who are helpless at this moment,” Ranjith said in a statement, according to UCA News. 

Bishop Jude N. Silva of the Diocese of Badulla, one of the “worst affected,” according to UCA, instructed all priests to cancel Masses and programs “until the situation improved.” Caritas Sri Lanka has led the emergency response, according to AsiaNews.  

European bishops talk Catholic-Muslim relations at three-day meeting on Nostra Aetate

The Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe discussed Catholic-Muslim dialogue at a three-day conference titled “Nostra Aetate, 60 Years On: Perspectives on Catholic-Muslim Dialogue.”

The meeting took place in Augsburg, Germany, and included “over 30 participants, representatives of European Bishops’ Conferences, theologians, and witnesses from 20 European countries,” according to a press release from the council.

In his keynote address, Cardinal Michael Louis Fitzgerald reflected on ways Nostra Aetate may frame encounters where interreligious dialogue takes place, the release said, noting that “the three days of the meeting were characterized by a wide-ranging exchange in the plenary conversations as well as beautiful liturgies celebrated in the churches of St. Moritz, St. Peter in Perlach, and the Basilica of Sts. Ulrich and Afra.” 

Capuchin Friars in Sumatra welcome those displaced by severe flooding

Capuchin Friars in the Sibolga province of Indonesia welcomed those displaced by flooding in the country due to Cyclone Senyar, according to Fides. 

“The worst is over, but the emergency continues. Floods and landslides have swept away entire villages. Many people are homeless. Rescue teams are now trying to reach the displaced: for some it is possible, for others it is not, because the areas remain isolated,” said Provincial Superior of the Capuchin Friars in Sibolga Friar Yoseph Norbert Sinaga. The cyclone has affected 1.5 million people and displaced more than 570,000, according to the report.

Archdiocese of Raipur, India, completes historic Eucharistic pilgrimage

The Archdiocese of Raipur in India has concluded a historic Eucharistic yatra, or pilgrimage, covering 1,655 miles across 72 parishes. 

The Eucharistic yatra lasted 14 days, with pilgrims traveling through 19 civil districts of the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, stopping in each parish for an hour of Eucharistic adoration, according to a Catholic Connect report. Participants in the yatra used a vehicle that was converted into a mobile chapel donated by the Mid India Province of the SCSC Sisters.

WASHINGTON - In light of recent statements regarding the Somali community in the United States, Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, called on all people to remember each person’s God-given human dignity.

Bishop Garcia’s full statement below: 

“As Catholics, we believe that every person is beloved by God and created in his image. Each child of God has value and dignity. Language that denigrates a person or community based on his or her ethnicity or country of origin is incompatible with this truth. I call on all—public officials, community leaders and individuals — to refrain from denigrating and dehumanizing language. May we recognize the rich gifts that neighbors from diverse cultures bring to our communities. The Body of Christ is beautiful in its diversity and each part, while different, is valued and needed. I pray that together, we can be people of welcome, respect, and understanding.” 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV asked Canadian singer Michael Bublé and other artists to do their very best when performing a Christmas concert for the poor.

The annual concert at the Vatican "is not merely a performance by talented artists or simply a musical event, beautiful as it may be, nor even a moment of solidarity to ease our conscience in the face of society's injustices," the pope told Bublé and the other artists Dec. 5.

"I would like us, as we participate in this gathering, to recall the Lord's words: 'Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,'" the pope said. 

Some 3,000 people assisted by the Vatican's charity office, the Rome diocesan Caritas and other Catholic charities in Rome will be the primary guests at the concert Dec. 6 in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall. It will be livestreamed by Vatican Media.

The concert for the poor began as the initiative of Pope Francis in 2015, although he did not attend any of the performances. However, the Vatican said, Pope Leo will be present for the 2025 edition.

"If we concretely love those who are hungry and thirsty, those without clothing, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner, we are loving the Lord," Pope Leo told the artists, including members of the choir of the Diocese of Rome and the Nova Opera Orchestra.

"This is the Gospel," Pope Leo said, quoting from his exhortation on love for the poor: " This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us."

"The dignity of men and women is not measured by what they possess," the pope insisted. "We are not our goods and belongings, but rather children loved by God; and this same love must be the measure of our actions toward our neighbor."

"For this reason, in our concert, the most vulnerable brothers and sisters occupy the first places," he said.

Msgr. Marco Frisina, director of the choir of the Diocese of Rome, said Pope Francis came up with the idea of the concert for the poor to give them "something they are never given -- something beautiful" and exclusive. 

Bublé, who spoke to reporters after meeting the pope, said he was "overwhelmed" and "I'm really still not over the moment."

A Catholic, the singer said he was able to bring his wife and parents to the papal audience.

"For this young kid from Burnaby (British Columbia), who grew up Catholic, to be sitting here now, it's almost impossible to really express to you how it feels," he said.

Bublé told reporters his set list for the concert includes several songs requested by Pope Leo, starting with the Ave Maria in Latin.

"To be really honest," he told reporters, "I sang that song once -- one time in a recording studio with all of the strings and the orchestra, and I never sang the song again. And when he asked, I was very, very nervous. I didn't want to let him or any of you down, but with the amazing group behind me, with the choir and this orchestra, I realized that there's no fear, there's only joy and rehearsal."

Asked about his faith, Bublé told reporters, "I have a wonderful personal relationship with God. And it doesn't just affect my music. It affects everything, everything I do, every decision I make."

"If my brand is anything," he said, "I very much hope that it's kindness and hope and love."