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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 1, 2025 / 15:01 pm (CNA).

A Louisiana parish suffered major damage to its property after a tornado passed through during the early hours of Monday morning.

Debbie LaFleur, secretary of St. Peter Catholic Church in Grand Prairie, Louisiana, told CNA the roof of the parish catechism building was torn off and that several fallen tree limbs fell onto the rectory, causing the above-ground structure to shift on its pillars. The rectory and catechism building were built in 1950 and 1970, respectively. 

The catwalk between the rectory and the church, a carport, and the awning over a handicap ramp will all need to be replaced, LaFleur said. She also noted that several of the parish's "very old" oak trees had been damaged or fallen down and that several headstones in its cemetery had been knocked down as well.

The only building that did not suffer any damage on account of the category EF2 tornado was the church itself. 

"The church was not touched," LaFleur stated. "Father Jude [Halphen] says that our saints, our relics, helped protect us." 

St. Peter's church houses numerous relics, including those of Blessed Carlos Acutis, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Acutis is set to be canonized at the end of this month. 

Originally built in 1950, the church was renovated last year. Among repairs, the parish brought in a new altar from Belgium. The parish is also currently working to put up altar rails, which LaFleur said came from a now-shuttered church in Harlem. 

"Pray for us that we can rebuild and get through this with little stress," LaFleur said.

"Our parishioners are great parishioners," she added. "They came out and they cleaned up the mess, so that by 4 o'clock [Monday] afternoon, it was clean." 

The parish is currently waiting on structural engineers to assess the full damage to the property and the potential cost for needed repairs.

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CNA Staff, Apr 1, 2025 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt this week signed an executive order instructing state officials to ensure Oklahoma's laws are "the most robust" in the nation at protecting religious freedom, with the governor also criticizing the state attorney general for attempting to block a proposed Catholic charter school there.

The order, announced on Monday, initiates a review of various state laws and policies to ensure they comply with religious freedom protections enshrined in both the U.S. Constitution and the Oklahoma Constitution.

The directive explicitly targets several state laws, including one requiring charter schools to be "nonsectarian" in their operations.

The order comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court began considering a proposed Oklahoma school that could be the nation's first publicly-funded religious charter school. 

Oklahoma's St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School was approved by the state charter school board to open in 2023, but state Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit against the charter school board, arguing the charter school's existence would constitute state support of a religion.

The ongoing litigation has since reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the landmark decision could reshape school choice and religious freedom in the U.S.

Drummond criticized the governor's religious freedom order this week, citing concerns that taxpayers could be forced to support other religious institutions. 

"Gov. Stitt has been clear that he supports our tax dollars funding radical Muslim schools teaching sharia law, and I couldn't disagree with him more," Drummond said in a March 31 statement. 

"If a taxpayer-funded religious charter school is allowed to open in Oklahoma, it will only be a matter of time before taxpayers are funding schools dedicated to sharia law, Wicca indoctrination, scientology instruction — even the Church of Satan," he alleged. 

"As a devoted Christian and a strong supporter of religious liberty, I can tell you that the only way to protect religious liberty is for the state not to sponsor any religion at all — just like our Founding Fathers intended," Drummond continued.

Stitt in his executive order explicitly criticized what he calls Drummond's "apparent hostility to religious liberty."

"By filing lawsuits seeking to prevent the nation's first religious charter school [from] opening its doors, Oklahoma's attorney general has fought against Oklahomans' religious liberty with a zeal and aggressiveness that suggests animosity towards religion and religious liberty," Stitt wrote.

Stitt's executive order further requires that state officials not restrict access to public programs on the basis of a person's or entity's religious nature.

The executive order instructs "that no individual or entity shall be excluded from participation in, or denied access to, any public benefit, program, or funding solely on the basis of their religious character or affiliation or intended religious use of such benefits."

"Religious freedom is foundational to our way of life in Oklahoma," Stitt said this week. "It's not a privilege handed out by the government — it's a God-given right that the government must protect."

"We will not stand by while faith-based organizations — including faith-based schools — are pushed to the sidelines by activist bureaucrats or hostile politicians," he said.

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CNA Staff, Apr 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On April 2, the Augustine Institute will release its second documentary in its "Based on a True Saint" series, which airs on its faith formation streaming platform Formed. The latest installment in the series, "The Boy from Milan," focuses on soon-to-be saint Carlo Acutis.

The film aims to help viewers get to know the Church's first millennial saint better and show how an ordinary teenager with a deep love for God and other people can became a saint. 

The documentary includes interviews with three individuals who knew Acutis personally: his mother, Antonia Salzano Acutis; his high school religion teacher at Leone XIII Institute in Milan, Fabrizio Zaggia; and Dr. Mercedes Arguello, Acutis' pediatric oncologist at San Gerardo Hospital in Monza.

Emily Mentock, executive producer of "The Boy from Milan" and co-founder of Digital Continent — the production company that worked in partnership with the Augustine Institute — spoke to CNA about the inspiration behind the film and why she believes Acutis is resonating with so many people around the world.

She explained that Acutis was the inspiration behind the "Based on a True Saint" series in the first place. The first documentary in the series was about Blessed Solanus Casey. In each film in the series, the goal is to answer the question "Is holiness possible today?"

"I was thinking of Carlo and the way he is presented to the world when we came up with the idea for the series as a whole because I just kept hearing how I should care about the saint because he's a millennial like me and played video games, but that doesn't tell me anything about the path to holiness," Mentock shared. "So, I was really just grateful for the opportunity to dive deeper into his story and hear from people who really knew him, not just about him, what he was really like on a daily basis."

Mentock said she believes Acutis' popularity stems from the fact that "he's relevant, he lived in our time," and this gives people "hope for believing that we can also maybe achieve holiness."

"Sometimes you look around at our world today and wonder, is this [holiness] really possible? And Carlo shows us that it is, absolutely," she added.

While filming and getting to know Acutis better, Mentock came to admire his love for life and how "he looked at life as his field to put into practice the teachings of Jesus."

She also pointed out how all of the individuals shown in the film were greatly impacted by knowing Acutis personally, especially Arguello, his pediatric oncologist, who found strength in Acutis' testimony when she herself received a cancer diagnosis. 

"It never ceases to amaze me that it was so evident how they were living differently and in a different relationship with God because of how Carlo had helped them turn toward God," she said.

Mentock said she hopes the film will leave viewers inspired by Acutis' "daily holiness."

"I think that Carlo can inspire anyone, but I do think that he especially is a gift for young, young people today to look around and say, it doesn't matter if you're 10 years old, 12 years old, 14 years old — you can go out and make a difference, live your life boldly for the Lord, and Carlo's a great example for that," she said.

EWTN has also released a documentary on Acutis titled "I Am With You," which can be seen on EWTN On Demand.

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Vatican City, Apr 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In 2016, when Pope Francis instituted the ministry of the Missionaries of Mercy during the extraordinary holy year, Argentine priest José Luis Quijano never imagined that the pope's initiative would renew his priestly zeal. With more than three decades of ministry, he thought he'd already learned everything.

"I wasn't a priest just going through the motions; I was always very pastoral, but this meant an authentic renewal in the inner fiber of my ministry," he explained to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, nine years after having personally received from the pontiff the task of imparting God the Father's infinite forgiveness on a daily basis.

"Mercy is not for those who are squeaky clean, for those who are good or just. That's easy. The recipient of mercy is the evil person, the one who has committed horrible deeds, the one who doesn't deserve it," he explained.

Those are not empty words. Even before receiving this mission of mercy, the priest of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires had made a radical decision: to accompany a former priest in prison who was convicted of pedophilia.

Those were 20 years in which, despite the difficulties, he never doubted that his mission was to remain by the side of that man forever tainted by a terrible crime.

"When you visit a prisoner with these characteristics, the person doesn't speak. We spent hours and hours in silence. Afterward, every so often, he was transferred to another prison. Sometimes I had to drive 185 miles to see him, and once there, they would deny me entry," he recounted, noting that his only motivation was the words of the Gospel: "I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Quijano had met the priest in the early 1990s, and although he was never aware of the abuse, he had perceived in him certain worrying attitudes that denoted a life that was "hardly in order," he noted, without wishing to go into detail. In 1997, the scandal came to light. The priest involved, who was later laicized, admitted his guilt, was prosecuted, convicted, and served two decades in prison.

"When I saw Pope Francis' call to the Missionaries of Mercy, I asked myself: When in my life was I truly merciful? Because being good, being tolerant, being cordial, is easy with those we like. But true mercy is loving those who don't deserve it," Quijano reflected. He was also quite aware that the harm inflicted by the former priest on the victims is irreparable and that divine forgiveness does not erase the consequences of human actions.

"Here we must note the difference between two things. One is forgiveness and the experience of God's mercy in the heart. And the other is experiencing the world's rejection. Even if a person repents, society's condemnation remains," he explained.

When the former priest finished serving his sentence and was released, he encountered the wall of exclusion. He couldn't get a new start in life. It was impossible for him to find work or reintegrate into society. He ended up changing his name and moving to a city where no one knew him.

"Even though he may have repented internally in his intimate dialogue with God, that doesn't exempt him from the harshness of life and the resistance of a world that will always continue to condemn him. In a certain way, the perpetrator is also a victim," Quijano commented, not seeking to downplay the crimes but rather to highlight the complexity of forgiveness.

In this sense, for him, mercy must encompass "both the victims and the perpetrators."

"Being a Missionary of Mercy doesn't just mean administering the sacrament of confession but also living out mercy with others, even when it's difficult, when it hurts, when it seems impossible," he explained.

A broader vision of the priesthood

During these nine years as a Missionary of Mercy priest, Quijano participated in several meetings at the Vatican as part of his formation. In these meetings fundamental topics related to legal issues were discussed, such as how far the missionary authority goes and how they should exercise their ministry in relation to local ecclesiastical authorities, the bishops.

"In Rome, Pope Francis broadened our vision of the ministry. He reminded us that mercy is not just an act but a way of living the priesthood. It's not just absolving sins; it's bringing God's forgiveness to all, without exception," he recounted.

Quijano remains convinced that mercy is the greatest legacy Pope Francis has left within the Catholic Church.

"Everyone should look in the mirror and ask themselves: When did I truly exercise mercy? Not just forgive in words, but love someone who didn't deserve it," he emphasized. 

Quijano is one of the 500 priests who participated this past weekend in the Jubilee of Priests Instituted as "Missionaries of Mercy," the sixth major event in the 2025 Jubilee.

Pope Francis was not able to accompany them due to his ongoing convalescence at St. Martha's House after spending 38 days in Gemelli Hospital.

However, he sent a written message to impart his blessing to the priests, who came from countries such as Italy, the United States, Poland, Brazil, Spain, France, Mexico, Germany, Slovakia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Colombia, and India, among others.

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

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Vatican City, Mar 31, 2025 / 13:17 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has advanced five people's paths to sainthood after approving decrees promulgated by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on March 28.

Blessed Peter To Rot of Papua New Guinea, Blessed Ignatius Shoukrallah Maloyan of Turkey, and Blessed María Carmen of Venezuela will be proclaimed saints of the Church. 

The pope also approved the beatification of Italian diocesan priest Carmelo De Palma and declared Brazilian priest José Antônio de Maria Ibiapina a "venerable" of the Church. 

The canonization ceremonies of both To Rot and Maloyan are to be discussed in a future customary consistory, according to a Holy See Press Office announcement.   

To Rot, a lay catechist born on March 5, 1912, and martyred for his faith during World War II, will be the first canonized saint from Papua New Guinea. 

Beatified by St. John Paul II during his apostolic journey to the Oceania nation on Jan. 17, 1995, To Rot is recognized by the Church as a defender of Christian marriage and a faithful catechist who continued his ministry until his death in prison.

Fame of To Rot's sanctity spread throughout Papua New Guinea and to other countries in the Pacific Ocean — including the Solomon Islands and Australia — following his 1995 beatification.

Maloyan was born on April 19, 1869, and died a martyr in Turkey in 1915 after refusing to convert to Islam. He was beatified by St. John Paul II on Oct. 7, 2001, alongside six other servants of God.

Ordained in Lebanon in 1883, Maloyan was known as an intelligent and exemplary priest with a deep understanding of Scripture. He was later elected archbishop of Mardine during the Synod of Armenian Bishops held in Rome in 1911. 

Following the great persecution of Armenians in the country with the outbreak of World War I, Maloyan alongside other priests and Christian faithful were executed by Turkish officers in June 1915 after refusing to convert to Islam.

Blessed María Carmen (née Carmen Elena Rendíles Martínez) will become the first canonized saint of Venezuela after the Holy Father approved the miracle — the healing of a woman diagnosed with idiopathic triventricular hydrocephalus — attributed to her intercession.

Born in the country's capital, Caracas, on Aug. 11, 1903, she became a religious sister of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament in 1927 and later became one of the founders of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus in Venezuela in 1946.

Serving the Catholic faithful in schools and parishes alongside her sisters who founded the new Latin American congregation, Blessed María Carmen was known for her love for Jesus in the Eucharist.

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Rome Newsroom, Mar 31, 2025 / 11:03 am (CNA).

The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France announced Monday that the entrances to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, featuring art by the disgraced artist Father Marko Rupnik, are being covered.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes called the decision a "second step" after his initial decision in July 2024 to no longer light up the mosaics at night and during processions.

"You know my opinion about the presence of these mosaics on the doors of the basilica. It seemed to me, together with my collaborators, that a new symbolic step had to be taken to make the entrance to the basilica easier for all those who today cannot cross the threshold," Micas said in an online post from the renowned Marian apparition site.

Mosaics by the alleged sexual abuser Rupnik, who is under investigation and awaiting a trial by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, were added to the neo-Gothic facade of the lower Lourdes basilica in 2008.

The basilica's side doors were covered on the morning of March 31, and the two central doors will be covered in a few days, according to the shrine. The coverings are yellow with small crosses and the words "With Mary, Pilgrims of Hope 2025."

For the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, Micas decreed the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes to be one of two places in the diocese where pilgrims can receive a jubilee plenary indulgence. He said "passing through the entrance doors of the basilica had to be symbolic of the moment," and noted that the third Friday of Lent, March 28, was also the Memorial Day of Prayer for the victims of sexual abuse committed in the Church of France.

After forming a special commission in May 2023, Micas announced in July 2024 that, as a "first step," he had decided the mosaics will no longer be lit up at night during the shrine's nightly candlelight rosary processions. He said his personal opinion was that the art installations should be completely removed, but it was too early for a final decision.

The shrine's next steps regarding the Rupnik artwork, Micas said on March 31, is to continue with the commission "to move forward calmly rather than under pressure from various sources."

"We are working for the long term, for the victims, for the Church, for Lourdes and its message for all," he added.

Marlene Watkins, the leader of the North American Lourdes Volunteers, posted on the Facebook page "Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers" on Monday, welcoming the French bishop's "thoughtful, prayerful, and courageous discernment to address this art in the sanctuary."

"This step in his wise plan makes it possible for some and easier for many victims and those who love them to enter the Holy Doors for this jubilee. His timing seems slow to some unaware of French art legalities — but his plan is prudent and methodical to take measured steps to make the removal possible. He asked for our prayers for this from the announcement of his decision. Please, let us continue to pray," Watkins wrote.

The mosaics from Rupnik and his art and theology school, the Centro Aletti in Rome, depict the luminous mysteries of the rosary with the Wedding Feast at Cana in the center. Rupnik's signature red dot decorates one of the arched panels above the entrance.

Rupnik, a priest and artist, has been accused of spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse of religious sisters. He was removed from the Jesuits in June 2023. He is currently facing a canonical trial over the allegations he abused dozens of women religious, including some within the context of the creation of his art.

The priest's prolific art career has created a problem for many shrines and Catholic churches across Europe and North America. Rupnik's workshop was involved in projects for over 200 liturgical spaces around the world, including Fátima, the Vatican, the John Paul II shrine in Washington, D.C., and the tomb of St. Padre Pio.

The Knights of Columbus last year covered mosaics by Rupnik in the two chapels of the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington and in the chapel at the Knights' headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, a dramatic move that represented at the time the strongest public stand by a major Catholic organization regarding the former Jesuit's embattled art.

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Bangalore, India, Mar 31, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A team of half a dozen Catholic nuns and lawyers have warned of increasing incidents of opposition to Christian funerals and hate campaigns against the Christian community in an eastern Indian state.

The group sounded the alarm after making a fact-finding visit to several remote areas under the Balasore Diocese in the state of Odisha.

"What we heard from the people in the villages was shocking to us," Sister Clara D'Souza, a member of the Handmaid of Mary Congregation, told CNA on March 27.

"Our fact-finding report has details of incidents of tribal Hindu groups protesting and objecting to Christian funeral services and even Sunday Mass, starting [before Christmas]," she said. 

"As we released the fact-finding report, a third case of a Christian funeral obstruction happened on March 22," D'Souza added.

Father Ajay Singh, a member of the fact-finding team, said the trouble for Christians in the Hatigarh area began on Dec. 18, 2024, when Hindu tribal activists demonstrated against the funeral service for a local Catholic, claiming that Christian funeral rites and prayers are against "tribal tradition."

"However, the timely intervention of the police helped the conduct of the funeral," said Singh, the former director of the social forum of the local Church. 

Later, the Hindu group — called Mahji Pragaon — created a commotion during a Sunday Mass and the police had to intervene to disperse the aggressors, who alleged that "new people are being converted" when prayer services were held in the church.

The recent fact-finding study found the Hindu group alleged in local newspapers that local Christians were "destroying the traditional culture by embracing and practicing the Christian faith." 

"This group did not even attend the meeting government officials called to address the issue," Singh pointed out.

Meanwhile, he said, the anti-Christian campaign spread to the village of Siunaguda in the neighboring Nabarangpur district. 

When 70-year-old Kesab Santa, an evangelical tribal Christian, died on March 2, the Hindu villagers insisted that they would allow "only tribal burial" and that "no Christian funeral [would] be held." 

Singh said mourners were "unable to take the body for burial in a remote Christian village" and elected to bury the deceased "in the village in tribal tradition."

When Siban Murmu, a 55-year-old Baptist of Rangmatia, died during a hospital stay on March 20, the body was brought to the village house the next day in the Catholic parish area of Hatigarh.

"Soon a local Hindu group arrived and started protesting against holding a funeral service for Murmu within the village," D'Souza said. "They said that Murmu had been practicing the Christian religion and therefore should not be buried in the village."

"Even after senior government officials arrived, the Hindu group did not relent and the dead body remained in the courtyard of the house for two days," she said. "Finally, officials suggested taking the body to the Baptist church cemetery" about 10 miles away.

The report warned that recent elections in Odisha have "escalated further vulnerable situations of the Christians."

Singh pointed out that "the sudden spurt in unprecedented anti-Christian propaganda is very much rooted" in the Hindu nationalist BJP winning the state election in Odisha last June.

"Maybe they are trying to create a Kandhamal-like situation by spreading hatred against Christians," Singh said, a reference to the Kandhamal district, which saw orchestrated anti-Christian violence in 2008 when dozens of Christians were killed, over 300 churches destroyed, and 6,000 Christian houses plundered and torched, rendering 56,000 Christians homeless. 

"We are now living in fear in this area, which had perfect harmony among Hindus and Christians until recently," Father Francis Kannampuzha, vicar of St. Paul's Parish in Hatigarh, told CNA.

"There is certainly a clear conspiracy to create trouble and divide among the people on religious lines," Kannampuzha said.

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CNA Staff, Mar 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A major U.S.-based initiative is providing tens of millions of dollars to Catholic parishes and organizations across the country to "restore and endow" Catholic communities around the country "for generations to come."

The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation earlier this month announced the launch of the Catholic Initiative, described in a press release by the organization as "an innovative, Vatican-approved funding model" to help ensure the continuation of Catholic properties and parishes.

The unique model is "the first of its kind in the world in faith-based fundraising, one that "shifts ownership of church buildings and campuses to a newly created nonprofit organization" created solely for that purpose, the foundation said.

Kevin Doyle, the chief operating officer of the foundation, told CNA in an interview that the initiative plans to start with five projects, all of which share "some similarities" with each other. 

"We're investing with organizations or parishes or schools where there is already a vibrant community, strong leadership, a strong ethos around the place, and where the community being served from our investment is under-resourced and underserved," he said. 

The first major project for the initiative is the Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit, a historic parish in that city that dates back to the late 19th century. It is among the oldest continually operated Catholic parishes in the United States. 

Doyle said the effort will be "probably about a three-year project." 

"One aim is to restore this historic basilica," he said. "We're not calling it a 'renovation,' we're calling it a 'restoration,' to bring back to life what is already a spectacular design."

"We'll be restoring the stained glass, fixing the pews, and restoring and modernizing the infrastructure itself," he said, stressing that the architectural form of the building would not be altered.

"We're also trying to create more of a campus feel on the property," he said. "We're building a plaza out front of the parish and creating more of a campus alongside the basilica with green space and walkways."

"We want this to be a place where both Catholics and the local non-Catholic community will want to come multiple times a week, and not just for Mass," he said.

The initiative is further investing in the historic Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart in Chicago. Similar to the Detroit basilica, the school dates to the late 19th century; it was founded by the Sisters of Christian Charity. 

"There's a real opportunity for the school, like St. Anne's, to become more of a community hub," Doyle said. 

The program is also offering an endowment for Bulldog Catholic, Father Mike Schmitz's youth ministry at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, that offers Mass, the sacraments and fellowship to Catholic students there. Schmitz is on the initiative's board of advisers; the ministry is "dedicated to forming and inspiring the next generation of young Catholics," the foundation said. 

"Other projects are planned," Doyle said, adding that the foundation will wait for further endowments before it launches any more restoration and support programs. 

He said the first wave of projects includes a mix of recipients who requested the foundation's support as well as recipients whom the foundation reached out to. 

In the future "we will have a process and selection criteria that we utilize to prioritize which ones to support," Doyle said, though "we are probably a couple years away from launching that."

The foundation is further backing some innovative housing initiatives, he noted. Among them are a southern Florida housing development for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and an affordable rental housing development in Immokalee, Florida, for the region's low socioeconomic population.

All told, the foundation's housing and Catholic initiatives so far have totaled more than $100 million in commitments.

Regarding the Catholic program, Doyle said earlier this month that the initiative is working at "pioneering a new model of investing in vibrant churches, schools, and parishes in underserved communities, ensuring their long-term sustainability." 

"This model frees religious leaders and Catholic educators from their financial burdens," he said, "and allows them to focus on their true mission: serving their parishioners and students."

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ACI MENA, Mar 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Lebanon will soon have its own "camino," according to the Association of Pilgrimages in Lebanon (APL).

On March 28, the group unveiled its plans for Caminos Lebanon, an innovative project designed to revitalize Christian religious tourism through a unique pilgrimage experience inspired by the renowned Camino de Santiago in Spain.

The launch event, held in Bkerké, the episcopal see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, gathered prominent figures, including Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, Tourism Minister Laura Khazen Lahoud, and Father Khalil Alwan alongside a diverse audience of clergy, religious leaders, and stakeholders.

Beyond hiking

The Caminos Lebanon project seeks to highlight Lebanon's rich religious heritage by creating a comprehensive network of pilgrimage trails that connect historical and spiritual sites across the country. 

During the launch, Father Khalil Alwan, president of the APL, articulated the project's core mission. 

"Lebanon is not just a country of natural beauty and a pleasant climate; it is a land of saints and a land of message," he declared. Connecting the initiative to the Maronite Patriarchal Synod of 2006, which recognized the importance of religious tourism, Alwan emphasized the spiritual significance of rediscovering mountain trails and the home to numerous shrines, deeply intertwined with the liturgical calendar.

The trail network is ambitious, spanning four distinct routes that traverse Lebanon's diverse terrain: Religious Mountain Trails will follow historic routes where saints once walked. Cross Trails will connect areas like Tartij, Qartaba, and Smar Jbeil, allowing pilgrims to walk through the Stations of the Cross. Thematic Trails will trace significant religious journeys, including the footsteps of Jesus in southern Lebanon and the Transfiguration Trail on Mount Hermon. Cultural Religious Trails will highlight regions such as Zahle, Ghosta, and Bchaaleh, offering visitors a deep dive into local traditions and heritage.

Roots of the project

What began as a plan for a single route has expanded into a comprehensive exploration of Lebanon's spiritual landscape. The APL has been working on the ground since 2009, receiving the blessing of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East in 2011. As its research has progressed, it has discovered the depth and diversity of Lebanon's religious heritage.

Currently, the association has published a booklet in Arabic detailing the 24 shrines along the trails. Alwan hopes to secure funding for an English translation to reach a broader international audience. "This is an open invitation for pilgrims and tourists from Lebanon and beyond to walk these trails and experience their spiritual richness," he said.

Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi described the project as a powerful spiritual initiative. "These paths are trails of faith and holiness, carrying the essence of the divine message," he said. "When believers walk these paths, they experience popular devotion, which is the source and strength of faith."

Tourism Minister Laura Khazen Lahoud framed the initiative as an opportunity for cultural exploration. "The Paths of Lebanon are not merely walking trails," she affirmed. "They are a spiritual journey and a genuine chance to explore our rich heritage."

Journey of spiritual unity

Nour Farra Haddad, a consultant with a doctorate in religious tourism and project coordinator of Caminos Lebanon, provided critical insights into the project's conception. 

Drawing inspiration from the Camino de Santiago, the initiative introduces an innovative "pilgrim's passport" system. The project showcases Lebanon's remarkable religious diversity, with over 6,000 religious sites evenly divided between Christian and Muslim landmarks.

The trail network spans 24 shrines, each offering a unique spiritual experience. From the Theology of Waiting in Maghdouche to the Personal Relationship with God in Annaya, the paths promise a deep dive into Lebanon's spiritual landscape.

"These were pedestrian routes, once traveled by Christ and the Romans," Alwan explained. "For centuries, the faithful walked them to fulfill vows and pray for personal intentions. Today, this initiative allows both Christians and Muslims to reconnect with these sacred paths, engaging in meaningful spiritual conversations along the way."

As Caminos Lebanon prepares to welcome its first pilgrims, it stands as a reflection of the country's rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Alwan closed by noting: "Lebanon is not a desert, as some abroad may believe. It is a land of breathtaking beauty, home to both Christians and Muslims who have lived here for centuries — a landscape waiting to share its sacred stories with the world."

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 29, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The apostolic nunciature in El Salvador issued a correction for the irregularities that occurred March 24 during a Mass marking the 45th anniversary of the assassination of St. Oscar Romero, who served as archbishop of San Salvador during that country's civil war.

The Mass, held in the chapel where Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980, included the unauthorized presence of a female Anglican bishop at the altar and banners in opposition to proposed gold mining, violating Catholic liturgical norms.

In several photos released by Salvadoran media, a female Anglican bishop can be seen behind the altar along with the bishop of the Salvadoran Old Catholic Church and anti-mining activist Neftalí Ruiz; the celebrating bishop, Oswaldo Estefano Escobar Aguilar; and Raúl Vera, bishop emeritus of Saltillo, Mexico.

In some of the photos, banners can also be seen in front of the altar with slogans such as "Every mine pollutes. No to mining, yes to life" and "Freedom for environmental defenders." 

Statement of nunciature in El Salvador

In a statement released after the Mass on the same day, March 24, the apostolic nunciature in El Salvador reminded that "ecumenical celebrations shared with members of non-Catholic churches include only the Liturgy of the Word and its commentary, along with prayers of the faithful and the prayer that Our Lord taught us: the Our Father."

Furthermore, and according to liturgical norms, the text continues, "it must be taken into account that the altar is reserved solely for the Eucharistic celebration."

"What happened this morning in the Chapel of the Hospitalito should not have taken place because it is prohibited by ecclesiastical law," the statement concludes.

Sources from the Archdiocese of San Salvador who asked not to be identified told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that the banners were unauthorized and that they were placed at the end of the Mass. Regarding the presence of the Anglican "female bishop" and anti-mining activist Ruiz, the archdiocese emphasized that the nunciature had already issued a statement on the matter.

ACI Prensa contacted the office of the archbishop of San Salvador, José Luis Escobar, the following day on March 25 to inquire about the irregularities at the March 24 Mass. In an email, his secretary responded that "unfortunately, the archbishop had more commitments than he had planned and will be out of town, so we apologize for not being able to assist with the request."

Canon 908 of the Code of Canon Law, the law that regulates the universal Church, states that "Catholic priests are forbidden to concelebrate the Eucharist with priests or ministers of churches or ecclesial communities which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church."

Additionally, Canon 844 emphasizes that "Catholic ministers administer the sacraments licitly to Catholic members of the Christian faithful alone, who likewise receive them licitly from Catholic ministers alone."

In February, a female Anglican minister "concelebrated" a Mass for the installation of the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chapecó in Brazil. 

Tensions between Church, Bukele over mining 

The controversy that arose during the commemorative Mass for the 45th anniversary of the assassination of St. Oscar Romero reflects current tensions in El Salvador, particularly around the metal mining law promoted by President Nayib Bukele.

The presence of anti-mining banners and non-Catholic religious figures at the altar during the celebration served to highlight opposition to the government initiative.

On March 19, the bishops of El Salvador presented a letter to the Legislative Assembly, supported by 150,000 signatures, seeking the repeal of the Metallic Mining Law. Mining had been banned in the country since 2017 but approved in December 2024 with the support of Bukele.

In December 2024, Bukele called the ban absurd, because the wealth given by God "can be used responsibly" to achieve high economic and social development.

The president said on his X account that "studies carried out in only 4% of the potential area identified 50 million ounces of gold, valued today at $131.565 billion. This is equivalent to 380% of El Salvador's GDP."

However, the bishops fear that these activities will increase "water and air pollution ... irreversibly causing death and illness," especially among the poor.

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

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