Catholic News

The Chaldean Synod has elected Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV on March 9 amid a financial and legal scandal concerning a former Chaldean bishop in San Diego.

The election took place during the synod's meetings held in Rome since April 9.

This election comes at a critical time for both the Chaldean Church and the wider region, amid ongoing political challenges in Iraq and the Middle East, as well as internal ecclesial issues related to unity and the organization of Church life both locally and in the diaspora.

Following the election, the Chaldean bishops issued a statement saying:
"After deep spiritual and fraternal deliberations, conducted in a spirit of prayer and ecclesial discernment, and mindful of the apostolic responsibility entrusted to them, the Fathers of the Synod elected the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church according to the established canonical procedures. After completing the required ballots, and in accordance with the will expressed by the Synod, His Excellency Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona was elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and chose for himself the name His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Paul III Nona."

The statement continued: "His Beatitude accepted the election in accordance with canonical norms, expressing his reliance on God's grace and his commitment to exercise his patriarchal ministry with fidelity and responsibility, in full communion with the Fathers of the Synod, in service of the unity of the Chaldean Church and its mission in the homeland and the diaspora."

"The Fathers of the Synod raise their prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, asking that He grant the elected Patriarch wisdom and strength," the statement continued. "They affirm their confidence that this ministry will contribute to strengthening the faithful in their faith, enhancing their unity, and revitalizing the Church's mission in bearing witness to the Gospel."

The Synod also called on all members of the Chaldean Church — clergy and faithful alike — to unite around the new Patriarch and support him through prayer and shared responsibility for the good of the Church and the growth of its mission.

Archbishop Nona was born in Alqosh in northern Iraq in 1967. He was ordained a priest in 1991 after completing his studies at the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He later pursued higher studies in Rome, earning a doctorate in theological anthropology from the Pontifical Lateran University.

He served in the parishes of Alqosh before being appointed Archbishop of Mosul in 2009, during a period marked by escalating violence against Christians in Iraq.

During the events of 2014, he left Mosul along with his faithful following the takeover of the city by the terrorist group ISIS, marking a pivotal moment in the modern history of the Chaldean Church.

In 2015, the Holy See appointed him head of the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Australia and New Zealand, where he continued his pastoral ministry among the Chaldean diaspora.

His appointment comes following the resignation of Cardinal Raphael Sako, who announced that he submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV of his own free will on the morning of March 9 so he could "dedicate himself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service."

The timing sparked controversy within the Chaldean community.

Pope Leo XIV on March 10 accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, a Chaldean Catholic bishop arrested in San Diego in March on charges of embezzling Church funds.

Sako had allegedly attempted to support or transfer the embattled bishop to a higher position, leading many to question whether the financial scandal played a role in the patriarch's decision.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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On the heels of his first apostolic visit of 2026 to Monaco on March 28 and after presiding over Holy Week and Easter events and celebrations, Pope Leo XIV is making final preparations for his 10-day papal visit to four countries in Africa from April 13–23.

The pontiff's first apostolic trip to Africa comes at a time when the continent accounts for about 20% of Catholics worldwide and is experiencing significant growth in priestly vocations.

Here are nine important facts to know about Pope Leo XIV's trip to Africa:

1. The pope will visit four countries and 11 cities in 10 days.

Pope Leo will spend 10 days in Africa and will visit four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, with stops in 11 cities across those nations. The Vatican estimates he will travel more than 11,000 miles on 18 separate flights during this single trip, underscoring how demanding modern papal travel has become.

Leo will celebrate eight public Masses and deliver 24 speeches and homilies during the visit. He is expected to speak French in Algeria and Cameroon, Portuguese in Angola, and Spanish in Equatorial Guinea as well as English throughout the trip.

2. He follows in the footsteps of other modern popes.

This is Pope Leo's third international trip and his first apostolic journey to Africa — taking place less than a year after his election.

In his 12 years of pontificate, Pope Francis made five trips to Africa and visited 10 countries. Benedict XVI made two apostolic trips, visiting three countries, and Pope John Paul II made 11 trips to Africa, visiting 41 countries during his 26-year pontificate. 

Pope Paul VI was the first reigning pope ever to visit Africa when he traveled to Uganda from July 31 to Aug. 2, 1969.

3. Pope Leo's polyglot talent will be on full display.

Pope Leo speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and he can read Latin and German, which makes it very likely he will use several of these languages during his visit. It is also likely that Arabic will appear in greetings or prepared texts.

According to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, the pope's Africa itinerary will showcase the main languages of the four host countries: Arabic and French in Algeria, English and French in Cameroon, Portuguese in Angola, and Spanish in Equatorial Guinea, which is the only African country that has Spanish as its official language.

4. This is the first-ever papal visit to Algeria.

Pope Leo will become the first pope in history to visit Algeria, the largest African country and where Islam is the state religion. Algeria has roughly 45 million to 48 million people, but only a few thousand Catholics — often estimated at no more than 10,000, a fraction of 1%. Most Catholics are expatriates, sub-Saharan African students, migrant workers, diplomats, and religious.

5. The visit will highlight the pope's Augustine connection.

The Algerian leg of the journey intentionally traces the footsteps of St. Augustine of Hippo, connecting Pope Leo's trip to one of the most influential doctors of the Church who lived and died in North Africa.

He will visit Annaba, a place that underlines his personal devotion to St. Augustine and his Augustinian identity. While there, he will visit the archaeological site of Hippo, meet Augustinian religious, and celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Augustine, which makes this first leg of the trip a kind of pilgrimage to his "father" in faith, echoing his own description of himself as "a son of St. Augustine."

6. The pope will visit a mosque for the second time.

In Algiers, the pope is scheduled to visit the Great Mosque of Algiers — one of the largest mosques in the world — as a concrete gesture of interreligious dialogue. This will be his second visit to a mosque as a pope. He visited the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, during his first international trip in November 2025.

7. His journey will be marked by works of mercy.

Throughout the pope's papal visit to Africa there will be several encounters that explicitly highlight the Church's works of mercy. These include the pope's plan to visit an orphanage and a hospital in Cameroon, a nursing home in Angola, the Little Sisters of the Poor in Algeria, and a psychiatric hospital and prison in Equatorial Guinea.

8. A record-breaking rosary is expected to take place in Angola. 

In Angola, local authorities expect to host a record-breaking event at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Conception of Muxima, a Marian shrine in Angola's Diocese of Viana and one of the country's most important pilgrimage sites. The pope will lead a public rosary where roughly 2 million pilgrims are expected to attend.

Additionally, this will be the first time a pope visits the Muxima shrine since its founding in 1599.

9. The trip will end with a visit to one of Africa's smallest countries — Equatorial Guinea.

The last leg of the pope's trip will be to Equatorial Guinea. One of the smallest countries of Africa, it's similar in size to the state of Maryland. In this country nearly 90% of the population is Catholic, making it one of the most heavily Catholic nations on the African continent.

The small nation is welcoming a pope after 44 years. Pope John Paul II visited Equatorial Guinea in 1982.

Pope Leo plans to visit Bata Prison, a facility criticized internationally for its conditions, signaling a clear concern for prisoners and human rights.

He will also pray at a monument for the victims of the Bata explosions, a disaster that killed about 100 people and injured 500, bringing a strong message of consolation and remembrance.

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Washington Archbishop Cardinal Robert McElroy celebrated a Mass for peace on April 11 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in response to Pope Leo XIV's call for prayer amid ongoing global conflict.

The liturgy, livestreamed from Washington, D.C., was part of a broader global observance of Masses for peace following the pope's appeal — first made during his Easter "urbi et orbi" blessing — for intensified prayer as tensions escalated and a fragile ceasefire emerged between the United States and Iran.

In his homily, McElroy began with the account of the Resurrection in the Gospel of John, where the Risen Christ's first words to the disciples are: "Peace be with you."

He said this greeting is not incidental but central to Christian belief, noting that "peace is the ultimate fruit and gift of the Resurrection: an inner conviction that Christ has conquered death once and for all."

Peace, he added, is also a responsibility.

"For as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ," he said, "we are called profoundly to be peacemakers in the world in which we live."

He argued that the United States entered the current Iranian conflict by choice rather than necessity, adding that leaders had "no clear intention," but instead moved between aims such as "unconditional surrender to regime change to the degradation of conventional weapons to the removal of nuclear materials."

"And we blinded ourselves to the cascade of global destructiveness that would flow from our attacks," he added, citing the "expansion of the war far beyond Iran, the disruption of the world economy, and the loss of life."

These "policy failures," he said, amount to a "moral failure," as Catholic just war principles render both "the initiation of this war and any continuation of it morally illegitimate."

He pointed to Church teaching as articulated by Pope Leo XIV, saying that "the only pathway which Catholic teaching allows at this moment is the permanent cessation of hostilities and vigorous steps to build up the conditions for a lasting peace."

McElroy invoked the United States' approaching 250th anniversary as a moment for national reckoning, warning against allowing division and violence to define the country's identity.

He called on "citizens and believers in this democracy" to advocate for peace both in prayer and with elected representatives.

"For it is very possible that negations will fail because of recalcitrance on both sides," he said, "and the president will move to reenter this immoral war."

"At that critical juncture, as disciples of Jesus Christ called to be peacemakers in the world, we must answer vocally and in unison: No," he said. "Not in our name. Not at this moment. Not with our country."

The cardinal's homily concluded to sustained applause inside the cathedral.

"Cardinal McElroy's homily affected me very deeply," said Timothy Rush, a participant in the Mass. "I particularly applaud the idea that prayer serves to focus our energies, but then we have to apply them and reverse this hideous descent into war by talking to our representatives and others."

"We have to fight the desensitization that is going on that normalizes the cruelties and violence of war," he added.

'True strength is shown in serving life'

A longtime advocate for the Church's just war doctrine, McElroy has frequently warned that modern conflicts often fail to meet the rigorous criteria for a morally legitimate war.

In a March 9 interview with the Catholic Standard, he said the U.S. decision to engage in war with Iran does not meet key requirements, particularly regarding "just cause," "right intention," and proportionality.

He emphasized that Catholic teaching rejects preventative war, noting that the U.S. was not responding to a direct or imminent threat from Iran. "You cannot satisfy the just war tradition's criterion of right intention," he explained, pointing to what he described as a lack of clarity surrounding U.S. objectives.

In response to Pope Leo XIV's call for a global prayer vigil for peace, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encouraged the faithful to join in prayer, uniting with Catholics worldwide in seeking peace and reconciliation.

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the USCCB, made an urgent plea in an April 7 statement, writing: "Let us entrust to the Lord 'all hearts that suffer and await the true peace that only he can give. Let us entrust ourselves to him and open our hearts to him! He is the only one who makes all things new (cf. Rev 21:5).'"

Pope Leo XIV's message during the vigil, held at St. Peter's Basilica on April 11, echoed these calls for peace. "Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!" he told the nearly 10,000 gathered. "True strength is shown in serving life."

In his reflection, the pope reminded the Church of its role as a beacon of peace, calling on all people to reject the culture of war and to "unite the moral and spiritual strength of the millions and billions of men and women, young and old, who today choose to believe in peace."

"Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics," he said. "We must form ourselves and get personally involved, each following our own calling. Everyone has a place in the mosaic of peace!"

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday renewed appeals for peace in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan, calling on the international community not to look away from the suffering caused by war and insisting that civilians must be shielded from its devastation.

Speaking before and after the Regina Caeli on Divine Mercy Sunday, the pope appealed for an end to fighting and urged those involved in conflicts to pursue peaceful solutions without delay.

"The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails the moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war," Leo said. "I appeal to the parties in conflict to cease fire and to seek with urgency a peaceful solution."

Marking Easter as celebrated by the Orthodox Churches, the pope said he was accompanying those communities with more intense prayer "for all who suffer because of war, especially for the beloved Ukrainian people."

He added: "May the light of Christ bring comfort to afflicted hearts and strengthen the hope of peace. May the attention of the international community not fail toward the drama of this war."

Leo also expressed closeness to Lebanon, saying: "To the beloved Lebanese people too I am more than ever close in these days of sorrow, fear, and invincible hope in God."

Turning to Sudan, the pope noted that Wednesday marks three years since the start of the bloody conflict there and lamented the suffering of the Sudanese people, whom he described as innocent victims of an inhuman tragedy.

"I renew my heartfelt appeal to the warring parties to silence the weapons and begin, without preconditions, a sincere dialogue aimed at ending this fratricidal war as soon as possible," he said.

Before the Marian prayer, Leo reflected on the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, and said faith must be nourished and sustained through the Church's weekly Eucharistic gathering.

"Sunday Eucharist is indispensable for Christian life," the pope said.

Recalling the witness of the Martyrs of Abitene ahead of his departure for Africa, he said the early African martyrs had left the Church "a beautiful testimony" when, faced with the offer of saving their lives if they renounced celebrating the Eucharist, they answered that they could not live without celebrating the Lord's Day.

"It is there that our faith is nourished and grows," he said.

Leo said that, like St. Thomas, Christians today can find belief difficult, but that the Church invites the faithful every Sunday, the "eighth day," to gather and celebrate the Eucharist together, as the first disciples did.

"In a world that has such great need of peace, this commits us more than ever to be assiduous and faithful in our eucharistic encounter with the Risen One, so that we may set out again from it as witnesses of charity and bearers of reconciliation," he said.

The pope also said that "it is through the Eucharist that our hands too become 'hands of the Risen One,' witnesses of his presence, his mercy, his peace."

At the end of the Regina Caeli, Leo greeted pilgrims and asked for prayers ahead of his 10-day apostolic journey beginning Monday to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

This story was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News' Italian-language partner agency. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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As artificial intelligence reshapes the world around us, two college students are aiming to provide people with an AI platform built on the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Acutis AI has been developed by brothers Peter, 21, and Thomas, 19, Cooney — students who attend the University of Dallas and Baylor University — and strives to stand out as a search tool shaped by Catholic morality that provides responses users can trust.

Additionally, the platform offers parents the ability to monitor their children's chats, set time limits, and set alerts to be notified when concerning topics are detected.

In an interview with EWTN News, Peter Cooney explained that after he and his brother used many of the other current AI platforms, they found they all had two issues in common: Responses to questions on morality are all built to be neutral, and the platforms cause young people to become dependent on them.

He shared that while testing responses on ChatGPT, he asked the platform its thoughts on abortion — if it was OK to get an abortion and if it could affirm one's decision in obtaining the procedure.

"It'll say, 'Yes, absolutely. I can affirm this. You made the best decision you could, etc., etc.," Cooney said. "That's directly contrary to Church teaching. So, I think that's the first big issue is that they try to be neutral, but at their core they're not aligned with Church teaching and all the big platforms just have a small team of people who make all these moral decisions."

In regard to the issue of user dependency, Cooney said: "I think a lot of parents have realized at this point the dangers of social media for their children, and so they've become much more cautious about social media. But, I think very few parents … are aware of the huge threat that AI companions and chatbots can pose to their kids because they're built to hook users and keep them engaged."

"I think this is especially problematic for young people — like children [or] teenagers — because their brains aren't fully developed yet," he added. "So, if there's a teenager who's lonely, maybe he doesn't have a ton of friends at school, maybe he doesn't see his parents much, the appeal of having an AI companion that will sound just like a human, and will also be super affirming and validating, that's a huge appeal to those teenagers and they can easily get sucked into them."

With this in mind, the brothers — who have experience creating websites and other computer programs — grounded Acutis AI in Church teaching by uploading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, encyclicals, the "Summa Theologica," and other Church documents into the platform's code.

Additionally, through coding, Acutis AI is only allowed to answer questions regarding faith and morals from those sources. For any general questions, it is allowed to do a more broad web search.

Cooney pointed out that while there are negatives in using AI, he believes the tool can be used responsibly.

"I don't think the right answer is just saying OK, we're just not [going to] use AI at all, we're just going to ban it completely, because I think it can be a valuable tool if used correctly," he said.

He added: "I think the best way to use it is to automate things. It should not be a replacement for critical thinking. I think it's super important to keep critical thinking at the forefront in all of this."

The young Catholic also emphasized the importance of maintaining human relationships and preventing AI from taking the place of face-to-face interactions.

For students, Cooney said he believes it can be a great tool in helping them study for tests by having the platform quiz the individual or help create study guides.

Cooney said he hopes Acutis AI will help "teach young people how to use AI responsibly and give parents the guidance they need to help their kids use AI responsibly."

Looking to the saint who inspired the platform's name, Cooney highlighted how St. Carlo Acutis is a "great example of how you use technology to serve God —he used it to spread his love for the Eucharist and he brought so many people closer to Christ through that — so I think we can do the same thing."

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Here's a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the U.S.

Minnesota bishop cites Gracie Abrams in speech on educators' role in healing wounds

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston shared a video performance of pop singer Gracie Abrams during his keynote speech at the National Catholic Educational Association convention.

While discussing the role of educators in helping young people to heal from their wounds, Cozzens played a video of Abrams performing her song "Camden."

"The poetry that she sings about expresses the depth of pain that she carries in her heart, and what's even more clear is that it resonates with tens of thousands of people in the stadium all her same age," Cozzens said during his April 7 keynote, according to UCA News. "Many people in the stadium also feel like singing."

In the song, an extended reflection on insecurity and personal struggles, Abrams sings, in part, "All of me, a wound to close / But I leave the whole thing open / I just wanted you to know / I was never good at coping."

"This is the height of popular culture," he said. "This is what our young people are singing about, the gaping wounds in their hearts."

Catholic educators must invite young people to encounter Christ in their wounds, rather than seeking value from social media, artificial intelligence, popular culture, or politics, he said.

The National Catholic Educational Association convention took place April 7-9. Other highlights at the event included a live butter sculpture of Pope Leo XIV, and "Puppy Love" sessions sponsored by Safe Hands Rescue and Healing Hearts Rescue, according to the event schedule.

Chicago Archdiocese says public school system abruptly cut off funding for students with disabilities

More than 800 students with disabilities attending Chicago Catholic schools will be affected after the city's public school system suddenly suspended funding to social services before the end of the school year.

The Chicago Archdiocese said in an April 10 statement that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) targeted only Catholic schools in terminating services for individuals with special needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The statement noted students with learning differences will lose access to math, reading, and writing tutoring, which will create "severe hardship for hundreds of students" who were relying on the services through the end of the year.

"We are not aware of any other non-public school system or individual school, religious or secular, whose IDEA services have been terminated," the archdiocese said. "It is not clear why Catholic schools are being treated differently, but Catholic school students have the right to be treated equally under the law."

Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich said the archdiocese "cannot allow this shocking and possibly discriminatory action by CPS to stand, not only given its affront to Catholics, but even more so since this injustice would disenfranchise the students we serve."

The archdiocese said efforts to reach CPS Superintendent Macquline King "have not yielded a response."

The archdiocese said the Chicago school system had verbally confirmed funding for the services would continue through the end of the school year "as recently as March 25" before informing the archdiocese during Holy Week that the services would be suspended.

"While federal funding for these services was provided to CPS for the full school year, we were informed that the last day of services would be [April 10]," the archdiocese said.

Georgia archdiocese launches virtual Catholic high school

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is starting a fully online Catholic high school program this fall in partnership with Catholic Education Services.

The launch of Sacred Heart Virtual Academy comes amid increased demand among homeschooling families, according to an April 8 report from the Georgia Bulletin.

Curriculum will be provided by Catholic Education Services, whose mission "is to partner with Catholic school leaders and provide services that extend the reach and impact of your school's mission through a faith-centered, rigorously academic education with a flexible learning platform," according to its website.

"We knew that we were not filling the needs of a group of kids that were in our parishes," Kim Shields, the archdiocesan associate superintendent of schools, said in the report. "This allows a child that doesn't want to go to a brick-and-mortar school to have that opportunity." 

The school will serve grades 9-12, according to its website, and is open to students outside of the archdiocese.

"My hope is that it serves what we're about — to provide programs for students to help them develop in all areas of their life," Shields said. "The premise is that everything is centered around the mission of the Catholic Church."

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"Enough of war!" Pope Leo XIV cried out while presiding over a vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on April 11.

Prior to the vigil in the basilica — which the pope announced on Easter Sunday, April 5, amid ongoing war in Iran and in the Holy Land — the Holy Father briefly addressed the thousands of faithful present in St. Peter's Square to participate in the vigil, whom he thanked for their presence while reminding them that it is possible to build peace.

The pope then entered the basilica to direct the prayer of the rosary, meditating on the glorious mysteries, each accompanied by a biblical reading and a reflection of Saint Cyprian of Cartagena, Saint Caesar of Arles, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Ambrose of Milan and, as is customary, Saint Augustine, all Fathers of the Church.

In addition, and as a sign of peace, before each of the mysteries, a delegation from each of the five continents lit a candle at the foot of the image of Mary, Queen of Peace.

In his speech, the pope said that "war divides, hope unites. Arrogance tramples, love lifts. Blind idolatry, the living God illuminates."

"A little faith is enough — a pinch of faith, dear brothers — to face together, as humanity and with humanity, this dramatic hour of history."

"Prayer, in fact, is not a refuge to evade our responsibilities, it is not a painkiller to avoid the pain that unleashes so much injustice," the pope said. "It is, on the other hand, the most free, universal and disruptive response to death: We are a people who are already resurrected!"

"Let's get up from the rubble again!" the pope said. "Nothing can lock us in an already-written destiny, not even in this world in which the graves seem not to be enough, because life continues to be crucified, annihilated, without right and without mercy."

Leo XIV then recalled the message of St. John Paul II in January of 2003 amid the burgeoning conflict in Iraq in which — while referencing his having survived World War II — the Polish-born pope said: "Never again war!"

Pope Leo stressed that prayer is among the things that "break the demonic chain of evil and put themselves at the service of the Kingdom of God; a kingdom in which there is no sword, no drones, no revenge, no trivialization of evil, no unfair profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness."

With prayer, he continued, there is "a barrier against that delirium of omnipotence that becomes increasingly unpredictable and aggressive around us. The balances in the human family are severely destabilized."

After lamenting that "the Holy Name of God — the God of life — is dragged into death speeches," Leo XIV said that an individual is subjected to this death if he "has turned his back on the living God, to make himself and his own power the mute, blind and deaf idol (cf. Ps 115,4-8), to whom to sacrifice all value and pretend that the whole world bends before him."

"Enough of self-idolation and money! Enough of the show of strength! Enough of the war! True strength is manifested in the service to life," the pope said.

The pontiff encouraged the world to overcome the "madness of war" and urged rulers: "Stop! It's time for peace! Sit at tables of dialogue and mediation, not at tables where rearmament is planned and death actions are deliberated."

Pope Leo specified that this is not only the responsibility of the rulers but of all, since "each one has his place in the mosaic of peace!"

The strength of the rosary

"The rosary, like other very old forms of prayer, has united us this afternoon in its regular rhythm, based on repetition," the pope said. "This is how peace makes its way, word after word, gesture after gesture. Like a rock, it is sculpted drop by drop. As in a loom, the fabric advances movement after movement. They are the long times of life, a sign of God's patience."

After urging the faithful not to fall into the "acceleration of a world that does not know what it pursues, to return to serve the rhythm of life, the harmony of creation, and heal its wounds," Leo recalled that the Church "is a great people at the service of reconciliation and peace, which advances without hesitation, even when the rejection of the logic of war can cost incomprehension and contempt."

The Church "announces the Gospel of peace and educates to obey God before men, especially when it comes to the infinite dignity of other human beings, endangered by the continuous violations of international law," he said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Now is the time to invite people to the faith, as it "is the moment for the American Catholic Church," says bestselling author, Harvard professor, and renowned social scientist Arthur Brooks.

Catholics must have "the entrepreneurial zeal to go out and get souls and to promise people what they actually deeply want," Brooks said. "This is so critically important, but the way it could fail is because we just don't have the guts for it. We don't have the stomach for it. We don't have the heart for it."

In an April 10 interview with "EWTN News In Depth," Brooks spoke about the increasing numbers of Catholics. He also shared what is driving people to the Church and how the Church can best reach new people in natural and simple ways.

While there have been increasing numbers of baptisms and confirmations, Brooks said Catholics "can't just rest on our laurels," as there are still "trends largely going in the other direction with respect to people coming to church," he said.

The Pew Research Center "shows us that 840 Catholics left last year for every 100 who came into the Church. These are not good statistics. But what we see that's really encouraging is a lot of young people, especially young men, coming into the Church searching for a sense of transcendence and really looking for in-real-life community," he said.

People want meaning, because the "sense of meaninglessness is characteristic of why people are feeling depression, anxiety, loneliness, addiction," Brooks said. "And people are starting to fight back."

Brooks said: "They're starting to recognize that the little friend in their pocket, the supercomputer that's their smartphone, is not doing them any favors because it's mediating their relationship with other people and they want real-life life."

"We need meaning, and we have these natural questions: 'Why am I alive? For what would I give my life? Why does my life matter?' ... And we're starting to figure out after about 15 years that you can't Google these questions," he said.

People "feel that there's something bigger," he said. "Young people today, they have a craving for something that's bigger and bigger. And if we don't feed it, then we're not feeding our sheep. Then we're not following the teachings of Christ."

Bring back boredom, but not 'in a bad way'

In his newest book, "The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness," Brooks discusses how he wants to bring back "boredom."

"We have actual protocols built into the Catholic Church that give us moments of peace, that give us moments of perspective that most people just don't have," he said. Catholics have prayer, Mass, and Communion that offer us these moments throughout our days.

"The first thing that I do is I get up very early, then I exercise, and then I go to Mass every day," Brooks said. "I've been a daily communicant for a long time and so has my wife. And we finish the day, even when I'm on the road … we pray the rosary together on the phone before we go to sleep."

"These are the moments," and "when I say boredom, I don't mean boredom in a bad way," he said.

"I'm not casting aspersions at all. I'm talking about blank space. I'm talking about turning on the structures in the brain called the default mode network that you need to understand your life. 'When do I understand my life the most?' When I'm at holy Mass. 'When do I understand it the most?' When I'm in conversation with God," he said.

This time in prayer can actually benefit brain function, because "you only have access to certain parts of your brain that you need to find meaning and to love your life when you have these metaphysical experiences," he said.

"There's a lot of research on this," he said. "This is not speculation. There's a ton of neuroscience research that shows that you only have access to certain parts of your brain that you need to find meaning and to love your life when you have these metaphysical experiences."

Evangelization should be 'as natural as putting on your shirt'

Brooks also discussed his personal conversion and how through simple ways of "friendship and excellence," people can invite others to the Church.

"When I was 15, I had an experience at the Shrine of Guadalupe in Mexico City on a music trip," Brooks said. "I came into the Church when I was 16. I went and told my parents, 'I've discovered that I'm Catholic.'"

"I come from a good, strong, Christian background, good evangelical background. I had missionaries on both sides of the family. And my parents looked at each other and they said, 'I guess it's better than drugs.' They just thought it was rebellion, but the truth is I was called to it. I really was," he said.

As people now come to the Church the question is: "'Do you want to go deeper?' I have something deeper. I have something more profound. I have something that has more historical significance. I have something that has more structure. Come with me, come with me … you're hungry and I'm going to give you real food," he said.

"It's the only thing that can fill this hollowness that's in our lives. It's the only thing that can break us out of the simulation," he said. "People know it in their hearts, and we just have to show that to them. We have to take them by the hand and bring them along."

As a professor, Brooks said he uses his role to guide students but does not force his faith and beliefs on them.

"I tell them on the first day of class at Harvard, my Catholic faith is the single most important thing in my life. And then I go on and I teach them science," he said.

"The science of human happiness is what I teach. And they look it up and they say, 'you know, that's not weird. It's not weird with him. He's doing a good job with his life … He also has a good family life. He loves his wife a lot. He's got kids and grandkids. That's apostolate. That's how apostolate actually works," he said.

"Live your life and live it right and let people see your Catholic faith and don't make it weird … Just make it as natural as putting on your shirt. That's the deal. And that's what I'm trying to do every day," he said.

"When my students come to me in office hours, the No. 1 question they ask me is not about my paper, my term project. The No. 1 question they ask me is, 'How do I fall in love, stay in love, start a family?' Which, of course, the university doesn't teach them, but that's the single most important thing in their lives," Brooks said.

"No. 2, 'How do I find my faith?" Brooks said. "What do I do to find my faith? They want to be led. You know, this is what it means to be a shepherd … We all have an ability to actually influence other people. And the question is, 'Am I influencing other people to get them a little closer to heaven? Am I cracking the door that the Holy Spirit in his wisdom can kick in or not?'"

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MANILA, Philippines — Several parishes in the Philippines have begun enforcing smoke-free and vape-free policies on church grounds, citing both the sacredness of the premises and the health of parishioners.

"I support the smoke-free and vape-free policies in church premises for the good of all," Maria Christina Jomen, a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Parish in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, told EWTN News. "Having a healthy environment is a responsibility for all, especially in places of worship."

The church, some 755.89 kilometers (469.69 miles) south of Manila, is among the parishes implementing the smoke-free policy in response to health initiatives from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in collaboration with local governments.

On April 2, the executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Health Care, Camillian Father Dan Vicente Cancino Jr., issued a statement directing parishes nationwide to adhere to smoking bans as a sign of respect for sacred spaces. The Department of Health later circulated a video message from Cancino on its platforms.

Cancino said tobacco use leads to preventable disease, premature death, and suffering, and called on all parishes to strictly enforce smoke-free and vape-free policies. The bishops' conference has voiced alarm at the prevalence of smoking and vaping among Filipinos, particularly among the young.

"This initiative is in accordance with our existing laws, and the move is also out of respect for the sacred and concern for community health," the priest said, noting that smoking in public places such as churches endangers both individual and community health.

"These habits pose serious threats to both individuals and the community. I hope that all our parishes and communities strictly enforce smoke-free and vape-free policies in accordance with existing laws," Cancino said.

"We understand it is not easy. But with God's grace, liberation is possible. We can do it," he added.

A long-standing precedent

The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Parañaque City, Manila, has enforced a no-smoking policy on its premises since 2015, partly in response to Pope Francis' encyclical on care for creation, Laudato Si'.

Other parishes have moved in step with municipal anti-smoking ordinances in cities including Baguio, Davao, Balanga, and Iloilo, pairing health-conscious campaigns with what Church officials describe as "green" initiatives to protect public health and the environment.

Smoking and vaping in the Philippines

According to the World Health Organization's 2025 Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use, roughly 1 in 5 Filipino adults — about 19.7% of those aged 15 and over — currently smoke, with the rate among men (35.6%) more than eight times higher than among women (4.2%).

The 2021 Philippines Global Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Health with WHO support, similarly found that 18.5% of Filipino adults currently smoke tobacco. WHO estimates that smoking causes roughly 88,000 deaths in the Philippines each year.

Data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology indicate that 4.8% of Filipinos aged 10 to 19 smoked in 2023, up from 2.3% in 2021.

The World Health Organization has reported that, globally, children aged 13 to 15 are using e-cigarettes at higher rates than adults. The Philippine Department of Health has urged the public to reject vaping products, warning they are not a safer alternative to cigarettes and citing the rising trend of nicotine use among young Filipinos.

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After the Trump administration appealed, a federal judge put on pause a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana that challenges the federal policy of allowing mail-order abortion pills.

U.S. District Judge David Joseph in Lafayette, Louisiana, ruled that the challenge be paused pending the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s review of the safety of the drug but noted that the state could continue the challenge after the review was completed.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit in late 2025 to challenge the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, which is used in chemical abortions. The 2023 rule changes, initiated during former president Joe Biden's administration, allowed the drugs to be delivered through the mail and prescribed without any visits to a doctor.

In January of this year, President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion with a federal district court to pause the suit, pending a review by the FDA of the chemical abortion drug.

Louisiana had filed the lawsuit after residents — including Rosalie Markezich, who is named in the lawsuit — said they were coerced into taking abortion pills that were obtained through the mail. In Markezich's case, she said her boyfriend forced her to take it.

Study: Maternal mortality decreased in states that protect unborn life

A recent study published by JAMA Network Open found a decrease in maternal mortality in states that protect unborn children from abortions as well as in states with permissive abortion laws.

The study considered 22 million births and more than 12,000 pregnancy-related deaths from 2018 to 2023, with 14 states with abortion bans and 37 control jurisdictions.

"This cohort study found that abortion bans were not associated with statistically significant overall or state-specific increases in pregnancy-associated mortality," the study read.

In states with strong pro-life laws, on average, maternal mortality rates declined slightly faster than pro-abortion states.

Illinois pregnancy centers continue to appeal for conscience rights

A court heard arguments on Friday from Illinois pregnancy centers that are appealing an Illinois district court decision that affirmed a law requiring pregnancy centers to refer women for abortions.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and three Illinois pregnancy centers appealed after an April 2025 court ruling found that requiring pregnancy centers to refer pregnant women for an abortion was not a violation of speech and conscience rights.

"No one should be forced to express a message that violates their convictions, and compelling people to refer others for abortions does that," said Alliance Defending Freedom Counsel Erin Hawley. "The U.S. Supreme Court held in NIFLA v. Becerra that forcing people to promote abortion is unconstitutional."

Maryland bill to force hospitals to offer abortions goes to governor's desk

A Maryland bill that would force hospitals to offer abortions, even against their conscience, in some circumstances, heads to the state's governor after the state Legislature passed it this week.

The bill would require "a hospital to allow the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances" under the federal 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which ensures that emergency care is offered regardless of a patient's ability to pay.

The bill would also require a hospital to screen patients for "emergency pregnancy-related medical condition[s]" and to provide "transfer of a patient who has an emergency pregnancy-related medical condition."

"This bill will result in a new government-created loss of valuable highly trained and experienced emergency department physicians, nurses, providers, and staff," said Dr. James Kelly, representing the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. "The legislation will increase the already existing severe shortages of qualified medical staff and will decrease access to emergency medical care, and endanger the health and safety of patients seeking emergency medical care."

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